The Danger of Dreams
by Mage of the Heart
Summary: Sequel to 'Keep On Dreaming'. Focuses on James Regulus Black during and after his seventh year at Hogwarts. M rating later on.
1. The Sorting

Danger of Dreams

**Danger of Dreams**

**I dont own any of the Harry Potter characters**

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**A couple of reviewers asked for a sequel to Keep On Dreaming, so this one follows James Regulus Black through his seventh year at Hogwarts. I'd appreciate thoughts and reviews, as always, and hopefully I can make this as enjoyable as the last one :)**

**--**

The loud noise of the once exhilarating train station had long ago come to annoy and frustrate one James Regulus Black. He had long since abandoned the idea that school was thrilling and as truly delightful as his mother had always made out. Six years of watching parents cry at their childs departure was plenty enough to bore him of Platform nine and three quarters. It was particularly frustrating to have to watch his mother fawn over his siblings, and even more so when she attempted to stand on her tiptoes and kiss his forehead. It was not that he was on bad terms with his mother; on the contrary she was very much a friend as much as family - but he did not take well to the public humiliation that seemed to follow such events. His family was notorious it seemed, and when the whole station was watching him, it was somewhat embarassing to hear the sentence that caused his friends to laugh for the next five hours; "Don't forget we love you, and remember to owl us if you need anything at all!" The first year, those words had brought comfort - now they turned his stomach and made him feel rather pathetic. His father would then traditionally give him a brisk one-armed hug, and a sly whisper in his ear about how best to wreak havok on his classmates and teachers, while his mother glared at her husband in a manner that spoke volumes of knowing exactly what her husband was doing.

James' father was an infamous man who, having been wrongly accused of mass murder, was somewhat of a magnet for strange witches and wizards on the Platform. Many a time, James wondered if he were not being confused for his father, especially when he recieved bombardments of questions answered numerous times in newspaper articles, and they asked about 'his wife'. Needless to say, the implication that his mother was his wife was something of a disturbing one, and he found it much better to avoid such questions by ducking away from the conversation and seeking solace in more quiet and secluded areas.

As the gleaming scarlet steam engine pulled into the station, James begrudgingly allowed his mother to place a soft kiss on his forehead, nodding to her cursory words of assurance, before hugging her gently and giving her a promise that he would behave himself this year. He knew as he turned around that his father had seen the two fingers he had crossed behind his back, but knew also that part of his father took great pleasure in knowing that his three sons were as mischievous as he himself had been. Sirius Black grined at his son, pulling him into a tight hug and muttering quietly, "make sure you prank Pincer again, and write me! The humour of your mother is more than lacking." James grinned, pulling away with a small nod, barely perceptible to anyone but his father. Pincer was James' and Sirius' nickname for Madam Pince, the librarian, who James and his brothers had pranked the previous year, by having numerous books chase her around the library and yell obscenities into the early hours.

"Look after Lily," Sirius said, loud enough that Hermione would hear. James didn't miss the smile his mother sent Sirius' way, and was scared to think what reward his father would merit that evening for acting so loving and responsible a father.

James looked over at his timid little sister, currently gripping his younger brother Remus' hand and looking desperately scared. She was short and slim, with long straight hair that fell just below her shoulders, in the same caramel colour as her mothers. Her eyes were the same grey as her father and siblings, but the shy bookishness of her character came very much from Hermione. Whilst Sirius' aristocratic features and eyes had been passed to all of his children, only his sons had gained his hair and mischief. The youngest child, Jane Luna, was just nine, gripping onto James' other brother Alastor, with a somewhat excited look in her eye; James strongly suspected that it was the reassurances from both parents that it would be her turn to leave for Hogwarts next year.

Nodding at his father, James held his arms open for his youngest sister. "Do I get a hug?" He said pleadingly, kneeling down to his sisters height so that she could run into his arms. She squeezed him rather tightly, and whispered very quietly in his ear that she loved him, and that if he managed to get expelled this year it was perfectly fine by her.

"I'll do my best," he promised, kissing her cheek. "Love you too. Make sure Mummy and Daddy don't do the naughty too much. It's bad for them. It'll make Mummy fat."

James grinned as Sirius growled warningly to keep his voice down. "She's not old enough to know things like that."

"I knew when I was her age." James retorted proudly.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "And I made damn sure Harry got a good kick for it I can assure you."

Checking her watch, Hermione suddenly began pushing her children towards the train. "You've only got five minutes, now hurry! Make sure you write, and James if I hear that you're encouraging any bad behaviour then I'll..."

"Have you expelled and working at a Muggle Residents Home for the rest of the year. Yes Mum." James kissed her lightly on the cheek, then reached for Lily's hand, joining his two brothers as they headed for the train. "If I don't write, then she's almost definitely in Hufflepuff!"

Before either parent had a chance to reply - knowing that Sirius' would be one of utter amusement at the mere idea that any of his children were poncy enough to be in Hufflepuff - James had picked Lily up, and they were all jumping onto the train in an effort to escape the tirade of comments from their angry mother. Lily giggled, waving at their parents and yelling "I love you!" at the top of her small voice, before being set down just as the doors closed.

"Right," Alastor said, looking up at his ever-so-slightly taller brother with a small frown. "What do we do with her H.B pencil?"

James glowered at him darkly. "Just because you're my brother doesn't make you exempt from detention. And just because I'm Head Boy doesn't mean I won't have fun." He grinned. "Think I'll have heaps of fun personally."

"Yeah, right when you realize how thick you are and actually look at the bloody stupid badge of yours." Both Alastor and Remus grinned and stepped several feet backwards as James glanced down at the badge glinting on his chest. In bold letters it read "Hairy Balls". Turning a vivid shade of red, James glared at both of them. "You little...!"

"James!" Lily said, tugging at her brothers shirt. "Can we find a seat now please?"

He nodded, with a very sour glance at his two brothers, before opening the door to the next compartment. Alastor and Remus followed, keeping a safe metre or so away from James, who was easily better at duelling, and twice as quick as both of them put together. The first compartment was being used by several second years, all of whom looked at the group in utter fright. Perhaps it was the distinctly good looks, or even the badge on James' chest that was thankfully unreadable at a distance, perhaps it was the mere fact that the three boys looked so similar, and the way in which they seemed to treat the younger girl spoke volumes, it might even have been the sheer obviousness of their relation to Sirius Black; either way, the carriage remained silent as they walked through, and only after the compartment door closed did they speak again.

"If they give you trouble," Remus said, boldly running to stand next to his brother as he spoke to Lily, "then tell me, and I'll tell Alastor, and Alastor will tell James, and then we'll give them a good kick, OK?"

"Remus," James warned softly, "there'll be no kicking..." with a sudden grin, he whipped out his wand and turned Remus' black hair vivid pink. "We're wizards after all." The four laughed, passing through several more carriages before they came to one crammed full of timid looking first years, all of whom glanced at the three boys and squeaked in fear. James opened his mouth, but it was Alastor who stepped forward first, pushing Lily reassuringly forwards and speaking loudly to all of them.

"Alright settle down. No need to be scared, we're just the sons and daughter of a murderer! Seriously now guys, come on be quiet, it's not all fun and games!"

The few children who had dared speak stopped abruptly, looking at the new four as though they might hex them at any moment. "Good one brains," James heard Remus mutter, and couldn't quite stifle the grin on his face.

"We're not going to hurt you," Alastor said, in such a patronising manner that both James and Remus grimaced in disgust. "We're just bringing Lily down here and..."

"Alastor, shut up." James said, gritting his teeth. He looked at Lily, who appeared to be more scared than all of the other children. He nodded at her, smiling brightly and giving her a small push forwards. She hesitated, then said, "I'm Lily... I'm first year too..." A small redheaded girl stepped forward with a smile and held out a hand. "I'm Rowena." Several more stepped forward, and all three boys stepping slowly backwards, leaving Lily with her peers without another word.

"Why'd you do that?" Alastor said scornfully to James when they were walking back up the train. "I was doing just fine. They were shut up and listening and..."

"They were scared shitless." James said frankly. He smirked at Remus. "Sorry Remy, cover your ears."

"Piss off James."

"Detention."

Remus fell silent. Alastor looked carefully around then grinned. "Look, it's Oli and Ruby!" All three boys grinned as they walked into the next carriage, greeting their Uncle Harry's twin children. "Jamesy!" Ruby squeaked, hugging him tight around the waist.

After three years at Hogwarts, Ruby still found it neccesary to clench James in a fierce hug at every available oppurtunity. Her face, as it turned out, came to be right next to his badge and she gasped, jumping backwards.

"Eww. Why do you say Hairy Balls on your chest?"

Alastor and Remus grinned, suddenly finding an excuse to leave them to it. "I have two younger brothers who thought it'd be funny." He explained, waving his wand and rectifying it easily. Fortunately, the two were not yet advanced enough to know how to make such charms irreversible, and it was quite fine by him.

"I'd better be going too actually," James explained. "I'm meant to have gone to the front the second I got on here. I'll see you at dinner!"

--

James walked down the carriages for an hour, doing his Head Boy duties and preventing any scuffles that looked as though they were about to break out, and making sure the first years were doing well. This was easily his favourite part of the day, not simply because he was with his sister, but because he was doing something vaguely useful. The mixed assortment of looks that came his way - from fear, to admiration - made him nervous, but somehow he took comfort in the way his little sister sent a smile his way the moment he entered the compartment. He spent and hour eating lunch with his brothers and their mixed aged group of friends; somehow it had never surprised him how well the two got on, and it seemed that they had chosen friends that were not disgruntled to be seen with younger students. In the years during which Alastor attended without Remus, there had been little or no spark of interest when it came to Alastor, and though his humour was in tact and he managed plenty of pranks, the two years since Remus' arrival had simply brought out more in him than ever before. James himself felt somewhat alienated from his two brothers - not for discomfort, not even for lack of humour and pranks. He himself had replaced the Weasley twins as top Prankster, and on several occasions the three of them had pulled master pranks on unsuspecting victims together, usually cleverly enough to avoid detention. Yet somehow he was not as close to them as he was to Lily, who had, for all her eleven years, been the closest to him. He felt particularly protective over her, more so than over Alastor and Remus, and though he had often attempted to convince himself it was a matter of gender, he understood very well that Lily was simply what some might call his soulmate. He had contemplated it many a time, wondering if to call his sister his soulmate could be considered wrong, yet he knew why he referred to her as such- they were very similar, more so than he was with his brothers, despite the near identical looks. Lily was easily as intelligent as him, she was compassionate, she was kind, she knew how to be mischeivous and cheeky, but always knew when to stop. Like him, she could easily be seen to posess both their fathers qualities at times, and their mothers qualities at others. Sometimes he wondered if it was the story behind their names that brought them together, but at others he understood more so than ever that it was not their names so much as their souls.

He believed in souls. He believed in soulmates. Mostly, he believed in Lily.

--

The Great Hall was buzzing with pre-Sorting excitement, filled with teachers and students all dressed in crisp new robes. At the Staff table, James could make out Severus Snape, and the moment their eyes met he inclined his head respectfully in a nod. At that same moment, the somewhat frail Professor McGonagall cleared her throat, leading the first years up to the stool at the front of the hall, on which perched the frayed, patched and tattered wizards hat that was used to sort students into their houses. Lily walked past, scanning the tables for James, and the moment he saw her he lifted both thumbs up, a smile on his face. She seemed to skip suddenly, and he felt a slight pang at the idea that she might not be in his House. It had never really crossed his mind before; he supposed he must have assumed on a subconscious level that she would just be sorted with him, but with it so near, he felt that he was probably more nervous than Lily herself.

"Mate, what'd you look so bummed about?" A voice to his right interrupted his thought, and James turned to look at his best friend of six years, Deneb Lira. He was a blonde haired boy, with a skinny bone structure and a slightly wonky nose that looked as though it had been broken on numerous occasions. His eyes were a bright green, with speckles of brown that often made James feel unreasonably scrutinized. His lips were thin and pale, an odd fact, given that the rest of his skin was naturally brown. By no means was Deneb much to look at, but in more than one way, he'd proved himself a true friend over the years.

"I'm not." James said in a dull manner. "I'm just thoughtful."

Deneb snorted and twisted in his chair. "Which do you reckon we'll get? None of them look like they could play quidditch do they, and we need to fill the team up soon, we've only got three players now!"

James smiled. "Yeah you're right, we do. I dunno... that kid over there... the tall one with the brown hair... he could be a beater with a bit of practice. He's chunky. And he's sure as hell scary enough..."

"Yeah... but next to Askan? He'd look like an ant!"

James smiled. "Fair point. How about that other one... bit tubby but he'll thin out."

Deneb laughed unashamedly. "That's Longbottom! Can you imagine what a mess we'd be in if we had a Longbottom on our team? We'd be killed."

Sighing James shook his head. "Longbottom's aren't that bad."

"Not saying they are as people, but on a broom? We'd better just resign now! Can you imagine what Sn..."

"AHEM!" McGonnagall looked over at them with piercing eyes and both shrank back in their seats. James shot a small smirk at Deneb, then turned attentively to the Sorting, where the hat's brim opened into song:

_In days gone by when I was young_

_The Founders thought it right,_

_To spread to you by fabric tongue_

_The words I speak tonight._

_The lion came from mountains high,_

_To prowl upon the ground,_

_The snake it slid from forest low_

_To spread their magic round._

_The badger crawled from in it's sett_

_To nurture younger minds,_

_The eagle flew from former threat_

_And the story now unwinds._

_When Gryffindor he fought a duel,_

_He was the bravest man,_

_He sought out harsh and mean and cruel,_

_Who from his anger ran._

_Fair Hufflepuff was mild and loyal,_

_She sang a different song,_

_She led the Founders through their toil _

_And kept their friendship strong._

_Sweet Ravenclaw was wise and clever,_

_Attractive and divine,_

_She had herself a secret treasure_

_Of metal wrought and fine._

_Slytherin was sly and pure,_

_With greatest high ambition,_

_He wanted to teach wizards raw_

_To follow in his mission._

_They all agreed on fields one day_

_That school was of importance,_

_And so devised a perfect way _

_To offer constant guidance._

_Bold Gryffindor he thought of me,_

_Sat proud upon his head,_

_He took me off, and as you see_

_I think for him instead._

_"Sort the students some apart,_

_And House them in our names,_

_Be true and honest, right and smart,_

_Be sure they meet our aims."_

_It once was lost that they should be_

_Friendly to one another,_

_But in these recent years you see,_

_Your fellows are your brothers._

_Fear not my friends which House you seek_

_You will not live in shame,_

_For whether you be loud or meek_

_The school sees you the same._

_No sit right down upon this stool,_

_No need to be afraid,_

_Come join the nobles of this school, _

_Your fate must now be made_

Along with the rest of the school, James clapped enthusiastically, grinning at Deneb as he recalled, in the same way he did every year, their own Sorting Song. "Come drink at the fountain of good will, it's not what you might think! Our school is just and kind and still, come in and take a drink." James was quite certain that over the years they had changed almost all, if not every one of the words in the song, as he had never heard the hat repeat anything of the like again.

Professor McGonagall called forward the first of the students -"Abbott, Helen"- and interrupted their laughter as she was sorted into Hufflepuff.

"No surprises there," Deneb muttered out of the corner of his mouth as he clapped his hands politely with the rest of the school.

James agreed, silently.

"Acras, Jennifer."

"Ravenclaw!"

"Alan, Benjamin."

"Hufflepuff!"

"Anfo, Tyl."

"Gryffindor!"

"Barns, Alison."

"Ravenclaw!"

And finally, after what seemed like hours to James, who sat impatiently clencing his fists under the table on his knees- "Black, Lily."

An agonizing wait, and James was certain that his knuckles had turned white, his jaw had clenched and his eyes refused to blink...

"Slytherin!"

James leapt up, applauding loudly with the rest of the school as Lily ran over to the Slytherin table with her eyes brimming with positive delight."

"I knew I'd be with you!" Lily squeaked in excitement, hugging her brother as they sat down. Deneb moved politely aside for Lily to be beside James.

James could only smile as he looked over at Alastor and Remus on the Gryffindor table, who both smiled at James and Lily before turning back to the sorting.

--

**Reviews to let me know.**

**Keepsies or deletesies?**

**Mage of the Heart**


	2. Welcome To Slytherin

I dont own any of the Harry Potter characters

**I dont own any of the Harry Potter characters**

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James grinned at Lily as she let out a squeak at the sudden appearance of food on the golden plates before them, before helping her to reach the mashed potatoes and grinning as she recalled her sorting.

"James... are we allowed to talk about it? I mean... what the hat said to us?"

He shrugged. "You're never told you're not..."

Lily smiled brightly and poured the gravy atop her roast beef. "It thought about putting me in Gryffindor first..."

James blanched. The hat hadn't even considered putting him anywhere but Slytherin, and although he had been building up to being placed in Gryffindor all of his life, expecting it simply because he had been brought up with a family of Gryffindors, he had been rather proud of his House. It didn't matter anymore to his family, or even to most families in the school, and those of whom it mattered to were usually ignored by the rest of the school. When he had first written home, he had expected his fathers words to be of embarrassment, even disgust, but they hadn't been. They had been so instilling, so proud, that he still had the letter after seven years, and he kept it in his robes at all times.

"What did it say then?" James said, feeling slightly put out.

"Well, it said I was like mum and dad, and they were both Gryffindors. And it said I was brave and shivv... shivvy..."

"Chivalrous?" James supplied, grinning.

"Yes! But then it said... it said I was like you, and that you were in Slytherin, so thats where I should be." She looked at him happily. "And now I am here." She hugged him with one arm, then dug into her food.

The smile on James' face couldn't have been more pronounced. "It said my name?"

"Yes." She didn't elaborate, and James knew better than to probe further while his sister ate. Instead of asking her, he grinned at Deneb.

"How about we stick Lily on the team. She's a good chaser you know."

Deneb smirked. "We'll see. I'll have to ask Snape to book the pitch for tryouts anyway."

"I don't want to play Quidditch," Lily said, looking up at the two taller boys with a smile.

James stared. Deneb's jaw dropped. "You don't want to play Quidditch?" James gasped.

"No..."

"But... you're good!"

Lily giggled. "I'm only good without another team. You know I'm awful in a game!"

"You're not!"

She rolled her eyes and looked down at the other first years nervously.

James waited for her to ask to move. When she didn't, he sighed. "Go talk to them." He poked her in the ribs and laughed as she squeaked loudly. Blushing at the many faces turned her way, Lily grabbed her plate and moved down the table to sit between a platinum haired boy and the same girl who had spoken to her that morning.

"Is that Scorpius Malfoy?" James asked Deneb, feeling a horrible apprehension in his stomach.

"Yes, but don't worry. He isn't as bad as his Dad, and the hat was on his head a whole minute! It must have been the longest a Malfoy's ever had to wait."

James nodded, but watched the blonde as he talked to Lily. "Do you reckon I should go scare him?"

"What? Why?" Deneb shovelled food into his mouth and raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

Shrugging, James said. "I don't know... but I don't like him. And if he hurts my sister then..."

"I'm pretty sure they're too young to be going out just yet mate."

James wasn't quite so sure, especially when Scorpius cracked a joke that made Lily laugh so hard she cried. "Dick." James' muttered. He couldn't help but feel a slight twinge.

"Jeez mate, you should've been in Hufflepuff, quit worrying about her."

That made James glower darkly, and Deneb shifted slightly along the bench, apologizing to the fifth year on his right.

"Shut it."

Deneb laughed and clapped James hard on the back. "Come on! Pudding!"

--

James entered the Common Room with the rest of Slytherin house, finding himself being hugged by several pretty witches that he and Deneb had befriended before. Occasionally it might be nice to imagine that befriend meant seduced, but as most all of the School knew, James Regulus Black could just not seem to get his head around talking to girls. He was no longer a virgin, and had hoped that he might be able to be more confident after satisfying witches, yet his hopes were to no avail. Though several of his female friends had been engaged with him several times, they all knew that his seduction method was beyond horrific. Mostly, they just pushed him into a corner and let him take the lead from thereon in. What confused him most was that he could talk to his female friend about sex, and could hug, hold hands and cuddle with them without fear, but the moment the flirting began he was lost for words.

"It's good to see you James!" A pretty blonde with blue eyes and full lips walked over, smiling and putting her arms around his neck as she hugged him. "I knew you'd be Head Boy."

James smiled and returned the hug, his arms going around her waist as he spoke to her. "Good to see you too Mira." She kissed his cheek lightly and pulled away, gasping as Lily appeared at James' side.

"James is this your sister?"

Grinning proudly, James nodded. "Yeah, this is Lily."

"Oh she's absolutely adorable!"

Lily looked decidedly uncomfortable, and James laughed. "Yeah, she's alright I guess."

"JAMES!" A brown haired mass threw itself at him, and James had to wait several moments before he even recognized his friend.

"Hey Lucy."

"You have no idea how bored I've been this summer, why didn't you write to me? I missed you!"

"I did write to you!" He defended.

"Not _properly_..."

James looked down flushing red. "Sorry... I... well... I didn't know how to write replies to... what you wrote."

Lucy laughed, throwing her hair over her shoulder to reveal her pale, pretty face, with sparkling green eyes and long eyelashes that fluttered when she flirted. "You're such a dear."

"I..."

Lucy shook her head and moved to hug Deneb. "You, on the other hand, were positively graphic!" Deneb looked particularly smug.

"I try my best."

She smirked, grabbing his hand and pulling him away. James didn't expect to see him for another hour at least.

"First years!" He called, turning around as the embarrassed and scared young bunch looked at him in utter fright. "Right, come with me, I'll show you where you're sleeping."

He led them down several stone steps, Lily close behind him with Scorpius Malfoy. He stopped when they reached a fork on the stairs. "Boys, you take the left fork, girls you take the right. Your dormitories are the first ones you'll come to. There are two boys rooms, and two girls rooms. Your things will already be at the bottom of your beds. Any questions?"

Several young faces looked at him blankly, but nobody raised a hand. "Right. Well if you have any problems find a Prefect, myself, or Professor Snape." He smiled at them all. "Welcome to Slytherin."

--

Lily reappeared twenty minutes later to find James sprawled across one sofa with yet another girl cuddled against him. He smiled warmly at her and held up a hand in greeting. "Shouldn't you be in bed?" He teased, then sat up, apologizing to the girl as she lost balance. "Are you ok?"

Lily nodded, looking nervously at the seventh years surrounding her brother. Deneb hadn't yet returned, and of the other four she knew only Markab, a tall, well-muscled, brown haired boy with some stubble and penetrating eyes. The others were all sat in such a manner that held ease and confidence, but filled Lily with something close to fear.

"Oh," James smiled and beckoned her over. "This is Lily everyone. Lily, this is Markab, you know him," Markab nodded with a small ghost of a smile. "That's Larius," he indicated the spotty redhead, who wouldn't be scary if it were not for the unsmiling nature of his face. "That's Jared," he pointed to the strawberry blonde of slim build, whose head rested lazily on his hand as he lifted his other hand barely to wave in greeting. "That one's Ricardo," this boy had black hair, one side of his face covered by his fringe, his hands covered in stripy green and black gloves. He was the first to speak, smiling at her warmly.

"How's it going kiddo?"

Lily blushed, nodding and looking at the floor.

James pointed to the girl next to him. "This is Frida." She wasn't as good looking as James' other female friends. She had stringy hair of a mousey colour, a small nose, thin lips and sinister, narrow eyes. She did, however, have a very welcoming smile, and soft voice. "Hi Lily."

Lily managed to smile. "Hi..."

"She speaks then," grinned Jared, looking slightly drugged.

"Watch it," Markab warned, smirking at James. "Don't make the Head Boy angry. You won't like him when he's angry."

James grinned, standing up and leading Lily a little away from them. "You ok?"

"Yes. Just... nervous." She glanced at Ricardo and blushed, looking away.

James looked over and barked with laughter. "Oh, you like him do you?"

"No..."

He grinned and ruffled her hair. "Go get some sleep. You've got lessons tomorrow."

She nodded and hugged him gently round the waist. "What if the people don't like me?"

"What's not to like?"

She frowned, then buried her face in his jumper. "Do you think Mummy and Daddy will be disappointed with me?"

"Were they disappointed with me?" James asked, smiling down at her.

"I don't know..."

James sighed and reached into his pocket, withdrawing an aged piece of parchment, carefully folded and addressed to James.

"Read that," he told her softly, "and give it back to me tomorrow."

He walked over to his friends and settled back down on the sofa, with a small, unexplained grin in Ricardo's direction.

"What?" Ricardo yawned.

"Nothing," James grinned. "It's nothing."

--

Lily unfolded the parchment gently, fingers trembling as she lay in her secluded four-poster bed, enclosed by green curtains. She took a deep breath before opening her eyes, and reading the single paragraph that her father had written to James seven years ago.

_James, _

_Congratulations on making Slytherin. I know you're worried about what we'll say, and that we'll be disappointed in you, but really, do you not know us at all after eleven years? Don't forget I've been where you are now, in a House that none of my family had entered into. Admittedly, my mother and father were horrible and foul, but I know the shame that you think you should be feeling. I know we've talked of Gryffindor since you were little, but only because we've never known anything else. There is nothing wrong with becoming a Slytherin. You'll be a credit to whatever house you're in. Just remember to make your Uncle Regulus proud._

_Love always,_

_Dad_

_xxxx_

With a contented smile on her face, Lily drifted to sleep.

--

James sat in the Common Room for another hour with Markab and Ricardo, talking aimlessly of their summer holidays, and vaguely addressing the subject of girls. James kept quiet on this subject, as he always did, while Ricardo told the two how he was looking for something 'real'. Both James and Markab laughed hopelessly.

"You? Real?" Markab guffawed at the idea, shaking his head in mirth.

"Honestly!" Ricardo said, nodding. "I want a real girlfriend. I met someone over the summer, and I really liked her, but she wasn't interested because I was too fickle!"

James snorted, running a hand through his hair in laughter. "Why don't you just go tell her you love her then?"

Ricardo glared. "I didn't love her. I just want that whole..." he seemed to search for words too awkward and cliché to be spoken, and so fell silent, a sigh sliding past his lips.

"Mister Black," the silken voice of the Potions master, and Head of Slytherin House reached James' ears and he turned to see Professor Snape walking towards them, his robes billowing.

"Professor?"

"A word, in my office. Ten minutes."

"Yes Professor."

Both Markab and Ricardo looked at Snape's retreating back before looking to James. "What have you done?"

He shrugged. "I don't know... nothing I don't think..."

Both of them jumped up. "Good luck mate." Markab muttered.

"Yeah, wouldn't want to be you." Ricardo grinned and clapped a hand onto James' shoulder as he passed him.

James nodded. "Yeah, thanks."

He waited another five minutes, then headed towards the Professor's office, feeling somewhat nervous about this 'word' that Snape wanted.

It was not that they didn't get on; having saved James' mother, and loving Lily's namesake, Severus had some degree of liking for the family, but he knew that his father and his own namesake James Potter had held such a feud with Snape that there was still a sense of cold dislike towards his family.

He knocked patiently, then entered at the Professor's invitation, taking the offered seat and clenching his fists nervously.

"It would appear, Mister Black, that your sister has been placed in Slytherin as well. A factor that I'm sure hasn't escaped your notice."

"Yes Professor."

Snape nodded curtly, looking down his hooked nose through onyx eyes that matched his obsidian, greasy hair. "I have been asked, by the Headmistress herself, to inform you that your appointment of Head Boyship means that you must treat your siblings and friends as you would any other rule breakers... I do, however, encourage you to turn a blind eye when your sister is concerned, for if she is anything like yourself and your brothers, it would mean the first loss for Slytherin House in three years."

James grinned. "Understood Professor."

"You're dismissed."

"Thank you Sir." James left quietly, reflecting only that it was a somewhat pointless meeting, given that the headmistress had mentioned the same thing in her letter to inform him of his appointment in the summer.

--

Breakfast was always a busy affair, and no day was more so than the first day of term, where the Head of House gave students their individual timetables before they headed to lessons. Lily sat nervously on James' right, beside two other first years who looked equally scared to be coming face to face with Severus Snape. James smiled reassuringly at her as Snape waved his wand over her timetable, then nodded to the Professor. "Morning Sir," he grinned.

"Mister Black," Snape acknowledged with a nod. "I trust you are keeping the same subjects as last year?"

"Yes sir."

"Very well..." he waved his wand, and James' timetable filled itself in.

"Thank you Sir."

The dark Professor moved to Ricardo without another word.

"James, where's the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom?"

James looked at Lily's timetable, then his own, and sighed. "It's upstairs. I'd take you, but I've got herbology."

He looked at Ricardo, Markab and Deneb. "Any of you got a free period now."

"Nope," Markab said, "me and Deneb have Herbology with you..."

The three looked at Ricardo, who was eating as though he had not had food in weeks. "Oi, Ricardo, what've you got first?"

Ricardo looked at James, swallowed, then grabbed his timetable, smiling broadly. "Nothing whatsoever my dear fellow!" Ricardo grinned. "Why?"

James nodded at Lily and her friends. "This lot need help getting to Defence Against the Dark Arts... you couldn't give them a hand could you?"

He shrugged, "sure." Winking at Lily he said, "always one to help a pretty girl."

James hit him around the back of the head. "No games with my sister thank you. Go get married to your Lady Love from the summer."

"Alas," Ricardo acted, eyes brimming with fake tears. "My heart has been destroyed, shattered on the cold stone floor, the love broken on her cold stone heart."

James rolled his eyes. "It doesn't make any sense."

"Yes it does," Ricardo defended indignantly. "I'm offended at your suggestion."

Laughing, James patted Lily on the back. "I'll see you later. If he flirts, then you have my permission to hex him into next month." Looking at Ricardo he said, "and I warn you, she does a mean hex."

--

Lily walked next to Ricardo nervously, glancing at Scorpius on her right, who seemed to be intimidated by the older boy. Ricardo seemed to be attempting to lighten the mood by pointing at other students and making absurd comments that might be deemed inappropriate if a teacher were to overhear them.

"You know on our first day, me and James got detention for not turning up on time..." Both Lily and Scorpius exchanged terrified glances. "Can we hurry then?" Lily asked.

Ricardo chuckled. "I'm joking. They don't expect you to know it like the back of your hand... yet..."

Lily bit her lip nervously, bending to pick up a dropped quill. Ricardo was about to say something, when two sixth years rounded the corner, snorting at Lily rudely. "Bend over for the big boys sweetie!"

She might have hexed them. She might have glared. She might have cried in embarrassment. She might have, if it hadn't been that two identical blasts of vivid yellow light shot from Ricardo's wand and hit them both squarely in the chest. Instantly, their legs seemed to give way and they fell to the floor with a thud. He was advancing on them in seconds, lifting both up by the scruffs of their necks and hissing in an undertone, "say anything to her again, and I'm sure the Head Boy won't mind beating you to a pulp with his bare hands." He dropped them, flourishing his wand once more and making their ears grow rapidly. Within seconds, the normal sized ears were drooping over their shoulders, and even as the two boys stood up and ran for the hospital wing, they were reaching the floor and threatening to trip the two of them over.

"Whoopsidaisy," Ricardo said loudly. He looked back at Lily and grinned. "Alright kiddo?"

She nodded, blushing weakly as he walked back over to her and her fellow first years. "Thank you." She whispered. Ricardo smiled, flicking his dark fringe out of his face and flashing her a winning smile, showing for the first times the dark blue of his eyes. "No problemo duck, I was getting bored anyway." He checked his watch and swore. "Sorry, we're going to be late, come on." He grabbed both Lily and Scorpius' hands, pulling them along the corridor at a run and calling to the others to follow. Lily giggled at Scorpius' look of disgust at holding hands with a man, then more so at the poetic cursing errupting from Ricardo's mouth. "Oh fickle school you are a fool to have so many floors, just let it go, I'm sure you know, that people now have doors!"

"It really doesn't make sense." Lily told him amidst laughing.

Ricardo glanced at her as they skipped multiple steps at a time on the spiral staircase. "You're as bad as your brother, you know that?"

Lily seemed to positively glow with pride.

--

James found himself tackling a largely oversized lily as it attempted to swallow students whole, and wondered vaguely whether his sister would be getting on alright. There was no doubt she was clever enough to handle herself, but getting to and from lessons was hard for anyone, even more so when it was your first day and you didn't know where to go. His thoughts were interrupted when one of the plants roots undug itself and wrapped around his ankle, lifting him swiftly into the air and dangling him above the lily's open petals.

"Shit..." he muttered, grabbing his wand and shooting at the plants stigma, where it kept poisonous pollen. The head burnt in a controlled way, the root flailing him around, before James aimed at the root, cutting himself free and falling easily onto the cushion that Deneb had conjured for him.

"Thanks," he muttered, standing up and brushing himself off. There was a slight twinge in his ankle, and he looked down to find a slight burn. He sighed. "Professor, I've got a root-burn!"

Professor Sprout toddled over, sighing in what might have been annoyance had she not secretly liked him. "How on earth did a boy of your unintelligence make Head Boy?"

"I have no idea Professor," James said, grinning. "I think it must be my dazzling charm and good looks." Yes, he thought, that sounded pretty good.

Professor Sprout chuckled, waving her wand and casting a small cooling charm on his ankle. "You're as bad as your father."

He grinned. Mira suddenly appeared beside him, and as soon as Sprout was out of earshot she asked, "how come you can flirt with her but you can't flirt with me?" The pout was pitiful, but James found himself tongue-tied yet again. Mira laughed.

"Don't worry, I haven't given up yet. Someday you'll be able to show me how positively dazzling I am to you."

James smiled. "I'm just not... good with that kind of thing."

She smirked. "I know." With a pat on his arm, she left, heading to speak to Markeb. Deneb caught his eye and winked.

"Score mate, really good score."

Grabbing a handful of fertilizer, James threw it at Deneb, who ducked, laughing.

--

After two hours of Herbology, and another of charms, James, Deneb, Markeb, Jared and Ricardo met in the Great Hall for lunch, sighing with relief at the lovely smell that met their nostrils. "I'm in love." Deneb sighed.

Ricardo smirked. "Of course you are, but I thought we agreed to keep it on the low?"

At this, the other three laughed, while Deneb threw himself into Ricardo's arms, wrapping his own around the other boys neck as Ricardo held him bridal style.

"Oh Ricardo, my love, take me?" Deneb squeaked in his most girly voice. Ricardo pulled Deneb to him and sighed dramatically.

"Oh Deneb, I thought you'd never ask! But let us first be wed!" He put the other boy down and they grasped hands, skipping gaily towards the Slytherin table. James, Markeb, Jared, and several other observers, grasped their sides in laughter, and throughout lunch the two boys continued with their role-play of a couple, much to the amusement of the rest of the house, and to the fear of many of the First years.

--

Defence Against the Dark Arts was now taught by one Professor Golsum, a middle-aged and balding man who wore glasses and spoke in a roughened voice. Despite his somewhat unappealing appearance, his lessons had often proved to be educational and enjoyable, and finding himself in his first lesson of the year, James felt fairly excited. He shared a desk with Ricardo, who sat back in his chair in such a laid-back fashion that it seemed he might have believed himself to be on a sofa. James smirked at him, doodling absently on his parchment as he waited for the class to begin.

"Oh, I thought you'd want to know, some cocky shitheads were saying stuff to Lily earlier. But don't worry, I sorted them out."

James looked at Ricardo assessingly; many people might have seen him as a formidable character, with his dark hair, dark eyes, gloved hands and generally uncaring appearance, but James knew that his 'sorting them out' would not have been as dark and dangerous as it sounded. Ricardo was a reasonable person, who never toed the line between violence and prank without very good reason. "What did they say?" He asked softly.

"Well, they told her to bend over for the big boys, but I..."

"They did what?" The anger in James' eyes at that moment may well have burnt down Hogwarts.

"Look mate, I know it sounds bad, but I sorted them out. Right now they're in the Hospital wing with constantly growing ears. Last I saw of them they were growing down the stairs, but that was at least a half hour ago."

James smiled reluctantly. "You mean the hex we made last year."

Ricardo nodded, "the very same."

Nodding back, James muttered. "Cheers mate," and sat back as Professor Golsum began to discuss the Unforgiveables.

--

Lily and Scorpius were sitting with Ricardo, Deneb and Jared when James returned. Lily was sandwiche between Deneb and Ricardo whilst Scorpius sat beside Jared and Deneb. James was rather amazed that the five managed to fit on the three seater sofa comfortably, but supposed it was that or sit on the cold stone floor.

"Oi, budge up Den, let me in next to my sister!"

"But we're already uncomfortable!" Deneb argued, moving up anyway.

James sat down and frowned. "Did you use an extension charm?" He asked, finding that he was sat perfectly comfortably. Jared smirked.

"Course we did. Scorpy here started complaining when us three turned up. I think he was molesting your sister mate."

James turned on Jared angrily, as did Ricardo, much to James' shock.

"Mate, don't even go there. They're like... eleven." Ricardo shook his head and looked at Lily. "You are eleven right?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"Right."

James frowned, then looked at Deneb. "Got Quidditch tryouts sorted yet?"

"Sure have. Saturday morning. Notice is on the board over there. And guess what?"

"What?"

Deneb lowered his voice and muttered, "Askan resigned. Said he had to focus on his N.E.W.T's."

James stared. "You're kidding, right?"

"Wish I was. But anyway, Ricardo and Markeb are going to try out, and looking at the rest of the list, they're probably getting in." James laughed, then looked around. "Where is Markeb?"

"Off with some Ravenclaw girl. Apparently doing Potions, but he hadn't got any books with him, and he put on aftershave, so what does that tell you?"

Laughing, James shook his head and poked Lily on the shoulder. "So you going to try out then?"

She bit her lip, then shook her head nervously.

"Why not? It'll be fun! Me, you, Deneb, Markeb, Ricardo, Scorpius, if he's good enough... and who else?" James looked at Deneb expectantly and shrugged. "Jared doesn't want to. Leran's trying out in fifth year, so's Karlan, and Mira, but we both know what she's like on a broom. Lucy talked about it, but the only broom she's ever ridden is..." he mouthed "cock" before going on in a normal voice. "Honestly, all the good people left last year, and we've been left with sissys and tosspots. Not for shit am I letting any fuckers on my pissing team!"

James glared. "Quit with the swearing. My sisters here."

Deneb smirked. "Sorry love," he said to Lily, then winked at Ricardo. "Hey darling."

Groaning, Ricardo shook his head. "Not again. How many times do I have to tell you Dennybabes, it's over. You're too demanding."

All of the group laughed, Lily giggled slightly, looking at Ricardo and blushing slightly before talking to James. "I've got your letter by the way."

James frowned, then nodded. "Right. Cool." He took the folded piece of parchment from her hand, then placed it in his pocket. "How was the first day?"

"It was ok... Professor Golsum was talking about you and Alastor and Remus and I didn't know what to say..." James shrugged.

"You'll get used to it. I got told I was like Dad today." She smiled up at him.

"You are."

He grinned. "Thanks."

She stood up. "I'm going to bed. Night." She hugged him warmly, and smiled at the other boys. Scorpius too, earned himself a hug.

"Night Lilz," Scorpius smiled.

James glared at him as Lily waved them goodbye. Deneb laughed. "Oh give the kid a break, he's just experimenting. It's another four years before you have to be worried."

James sat back in the chair and clenched his jaw. "She's eleven."

"Yeah mate... we know, that's why it's so funny."

Ricardo rolled his eyes at Deneb. "Give the guy a break. If someone tried to touch me you'd kick off too."

With the mood considerably lightened, they settled down around a table to write a twelve inch Potions essay, and for a while all that was heard was the soft scratching of quills on parchment.

--

**I'm hoping to get the next chapter up in the next few days, just to give you something to be getting on with while I go back and do a In Faith Of Tomorrow chapter.**

**As always, I'd love your insight :)**

**Mage of the Heart**


	3. Quidditch

I dont own any of the Harry Potter characters

**I dont own any of the Harry Potter characters**

--

Despite Deneb's insistence that the Quidditch team was selected simply on level of skill, James strongly suspected as he read the names on the notice board that this was not the case. After more than thirty people had turned up for tryouts, Deneb had 'carefully' examined all of their performances, and chosen accordingly. Even as he stood there, James could hear the mutterings of annoyance from the rejected Slytherins, stating that only the Captains friends had made the team. He smiled though, at the list of names, noting with happiness that two of the seven names were Black.

_**Final Slytherin Team:**_

**_Keeper: _**_Deneb Lira _**_(C)_**

**_Chaser 1: _**_Ricardo Marquinez_

**_Chaser 2: _**_Lily Black_

**_Chaser 3: _**_Scorpius Malfoy_

**_Beater 1: _**_Markeb Darian_

**_Beater 2: _**_Larius Stalia_

**_Seeker: _**_James Black_

He looked over to Lily, who was sat smiling at Scorpius and discussing their appointments to the team, then turned to Deneb. "Have you asked Snape about them two?"

"Sure did." Deneb smirked. "All he said was that if that was the best we had to offer then he'd sort it out. Got an owl this morning, he said it was fine. Seems McGonnagall got guilt-tripped about letting Harry Potter on Gryffindor's team all those years ago."

James chuckled, then clapped Deneb on the shoulder. "We'll do alright. Ricardo'll sort them two out, and Markeb and Larius are more than good enough... me and you are passable at any rate."

Deneb laughed. "Yeah, sure."

A snort at their side indicated Larius had joined them, his broad shoulders scaring away the clusters of younger students as he scanned the announcement board. "Not got favourites though do you Deneb?"

"Speak english will you?" Deneb smirked, then shrugged. "It's not my fault the others were abysmal. You want to get thrown off thats fine by me."

Larius grinned. "That's alright mate. I like my name getting known.." he pushed a third year slightly in the back. "Get's me noticed." He smirked. "See you in a bit.."

Waiting until Larius was out of earshot, James muttered, "You know, sometimes he's more than a little bit of a bully.."

Deneb nodded in agreement. "I know what you mean, but as long as it's a Hufflepuff he takes it out on..." James glared. "Yeah alright," Deneb sighed. "I see your point ok?"

Shaking his head, James headed for the sofa's sitting next to Lily and Scorpius with a small smile. "Congrats," he grinned, ruffling Lily's hair. "Now you have an excuse to spend hours with Ricardo every week without asking for help with your potions!" Lily slapped James' hand and glared angrily at him.

"I needed help! And everyone knows you're too thick to do it!"

James stared open-mouthed. "I'm not thick!"

"Yes you are. Ricardo got an O, you got an A. You're thick." Lily tucked her legs under her and grabbed her book from the table, settling down to read it.

"I'm not thick." James repeated bluntly.

"Can't you see I'm reading?" Lily asked sweetly.

Grunting in annoyance, James settled back on the chair, resting his head on his hand. For several moments, he was quiet, then muttered, "you know he likes men don't you?"

He earned himself a hit around the head with her large leatherbound book, and was suddenly quietened, just as Ricardo and Markeb arrived, throwing themselves down on the sofa and smiling. "Who likes men?" Ricardo asked, grinning at James and smiling genuinely at Lily.

"Deneb." James muttered instantly.

Feigning shock, Ricardo jumped to his feet, throwing one hand dramatically over his forehead. "Oh sweet mother, you mean to say that what he told me was an innocent bath amongst friend was in fact... in fact..." he contorted his face to one of utter disgust and seemed to sob ashamedly. "SEX?" The last word was a hissed exclamation, and niether Lily, James, Markeb or Scorpius managed to keep a straight face. "Oh my life is a shambles!" Ricardo cried, throwing himself onto James and pretending to sob into his neck. Laughing, James shoved Ricardo off him and shook his head. "I won't be your consolation prize!"

Ricardo smirked, shrugging, then looked at Lily. "Did you finish your essay?"

"Yes." Lily smiled at him happily. "Just now."

"Want me to check it with you?"

Nodding, Lily got to her feet and smiled at him. "It might not be very good," she said, walking over to a near table and extracting it from under a pile of books. "I'm not sure about it."

Ricardo took it and settled onto the sofa, seeming to read it at an almost unrealistic speed.

"It's good." He said eventually, smiling reassuringly at her. "It just needs a few tweaks... like this bit here. The reason you use newt eyes is because they've got strong healing powers, not because they 'make you feel better'."

Lily blushed. Ricardo laughed and rubbed her back lightly. "Don't worry. Everybody does it once or twice. As long as Snape doesn't see, you're fine."

Smiling, she crossed out the offending line and replaced it. Ricardo proceeded to correct her essay. James sighed in disbelief, then turned to Deneb. "So when's practice?"

--

Wednesday evenings were suddenly filled by a two and a half hour training session, in which time Deneb drilled his team repeatedly through tactics, gruelling twists, turns, tricks and formations, and several tiresome speeches about the fantastic talent they were showing. Despite his boredom with such speeches, however, James found, while watching the team perform, they truly were the best that Slytherin had seen in a while. Lily and Scorpius were light and agile, easily manoevering their brooms this way and that, with fantastic co-ordination, catching and throwing the Quaffle between them in such a way that it was difficult to imagine that they had been unused to Quidditch on an actual team. Larius and Markeb were both broad-shouldered, with well-muscled arms that made the beating of the Bludgers seem like a lazy flick of the wrist; Ricardo was muscular, more so than most chasers in fact, but easily as agile as Lily and Scorpius. His extra muscle would prove useful in discouraging opponent blocks, whilst his strong arms made good throws much more attainable. Deneb was a fantastic keeper, with easy control of his broom, brilliant hand-eye co-ordination, and a surprisingly loud voice for boosting his teams morale. James himself was by no means the stereotypical image of seeker. He was taller, broader and heavier, yet his eyes were sharp, he barely missed a thing, and his reflexes were beyond good. Though his weight was a slight disadvantage when it came to speed, it was also useful for shouldering opposing seekers off course. Like all teams, they had their negatives too; Lily and Scorpius being so small made them an easy target for bludger attacks, and Markeb often had his mind on other things. All-in-all, however, James and Deneb collectively agreed that they had a good, successful team in the makings.

During one particular training session, in the mild evening weather of October, their final session before the first game of the season against Gryffindor, Deneb called the team to the ground, smiling at each member in turn as they touched down. "Right guys," he said seriously. "We all know it's serious. We lose our opening game and we knock our confidence. We're going out to win it. If you need to knock them off their brooms, kick them in the face or whatever, as long as we win and Hooch can't see you, I don't care."

James rolled his eyes as Deneb continued on. "I want you all to be in bed by ten on friday. Saturday morning we eat as a team, we leave the Hall as a team, we get changed as a team. I'm not going to settle for excuses."

"Excuse me Sir," James said in a high-pitched voice. "I've got rounds on Friday, so I can't go to bed for ten."

The others laughed, hiding their grins behind their hands at Deneb's glare. "I'll talk to Snape about letting you off..."

"Dennybabes," Ricardo said, skipping over to Deneb and grabbing his hand desperately. "Why don't you take me to bed really, really, really early on friday, so you can talk to me about tactics..?" he stroked Deneb's cheek jokingly, pouting at the Captain. "I'm not sure I understand the from-behind routine well enough yet..."

Deneb shook his head, pushed Ricardo back lightly. Markeb piped up, smirking. "You're going to spend the next two days with us... so why are you telling us that now? We'll only forget by Friday anyway..."

Deneb glared, knowing they were winding him up. "Because I'm the Captain, and this is the only time of the week you actually listen to me!"

Throwing his arms around Deneb's neck, Ricardo proclaimed in a loud voice. "Say it not my love! My ears burn! My heart it breaks! I know no such sound as the soft velvet of your voice as you caress my..."

"Thank you!" James interrupted sharply. "Ricardo, really, are you not getting bored of your gay relationship with Deneb yet?"

With a look of faked hurt on his face, Ricardo grasping at his chest. "Why fore you say such things that break my heart in two? My dearest Deneb, oh I love him, it is true."

The others laughed loudly. Lily and Scorpius gripped each others shoulders for support. James sighed. "Come on guys, lets go back. It's going to rain soon."

"You're stealing the show," James heard Deneb mutter to Ricardo.

"I know that, but it's a lot of fun knowing that I'm the gay icon among the group."

"Why?"

"Well, when Larius finally admits he wants my ass, I get to pretend it's all yours." With a slap on his own behind and a wink at Deneb, Ricardo laughed.

--

Saturday morning dawned bleak and grey. Clouds hung above the grounds like shadows and omens, threatening the day with their darkness. The ground was dry, not yet affected by the rain, and as James examined the ground, he looked at Lily, who was pale skinned and tight-lipped. He moved to walk over to her, but Ricardo was already there, standing more than head and shoulders above her before crouching to her level, his hand on her shoulder as he spoke in a soft voice that James couldn't hear.

Lily looked around at the soft touch on her shoulder, feeling her stomach churning the very small amount of breakfast she'd managed to eat. Ricardo crouched down, resting on the balls of his feet and looking at her concernedly.

"You ok?" He said, rubbing her shoulder lightly. She nodded, then managed to change it into a shake before nodding again. Ricardo smirked and shook his head. "I can't read minds, you'll have to tell me either way."

She smiled weakly. "I feel sick."

Nodding, Ricardo answered her softly. "You'll be fine, don't worry about it. Just breathe deep. Everyone's nervous before their first game, I mean, come on, did you see Scorpius at breakfast?" Lily giggled, nodding and looking over at the now smiling and somewhat giggly blonde talking to Deneb and Markeb.

"What did you give him?" Ricardo winked at her. "Draught of Happiness. You want some?"

She looked hesitant, "is it allowed?"

"It's not _disallowed_," Ricardo shrugged. "So I suppose it is."

She looked at Scorpius, then shook her head. "No... I think I'll try without."

Ricardo smiled at her showing bright teeth. "Good, I'd hate to have to steal your innocence at such a young age." He winked at her and ruffled her hair. "Good luck kiddo," he walked over to James with a small wave. Lily watched him go with a small smile on her face.

--

They kicked off from the ground hard, the wind rushing around their faces and stinging their eyes as they sped upwards into the air. Lily, Ricardo and Scorpius spread out across the breadth of the pitch, speeding forwards and intercepting th Quaffle with unmistakeable ease. Markeb and Larius smashed bludger after bludger at the opposing Gryffindor team, and as James and Lily's two brothers darted around attempting to dodge them. Alastor darted to and fro just beneath James, searching in the same way as he for the sparkling golden ball that would win them one hundred and fifty points. Remus was busy attempting to steal the Quaffle from Ricardo and Lily, ducking bludgers easily with his agile frame. Alastor flew higher, level with James who smiled in amusement.

"Ready to lose Al?"

"Get over yourself," Alastor laughed, eyes scanning the ground quickly.

"You wouldn't be here if not for me," James laughed. "I taught you all you know."

"Harry taught you!"

James shrugged, darting past his brother without another word as he sped towards the ground. He felt Alastor gaining on him, and as he sped closer to the ground, pulling up sharp at the very bottom, he heard the crack of a broom handle, and his brothers cursing as he rolled quickly and somewhat uncomfortably from the brooms remains. James hovered over his brother and smirked as Alastor glared at him.

"You still have a lot to learn though, buddy." He grinned and flew off into the grounds, catching a brief snippet of the commentary.

"... very unfair Wronski from Slytherin Seeker Black to Gryffindor Seeker. It really shouldn't be allowed to let Slytherins do that kind of thing. One brother to another too! Terrible, absolutely..."

"STREPPIN, SLYTHERIN JUST SCORED!" Professor McGonnagall's shrill voice echoed around the ground and James smirked to himself, before darting off in search of the Snitch.

"Of course, there's been a lot of speculation over the line-up of Slytherin team this year; Head Boy, his little sister, his little sisters best friend, and then of course all of the Captains best friends- it's like Harry Potters team, back in the single year that he was captain. What is Quidditch coming to?"

It was at that moment that Lily and Ricardo exchanged a quick one-two pass, sending the Quaffle zooming smoothly through the hoops. James made a loud whooping noise as they exchanged high-fives, before scouring the stadium for the glittering golden ball.

"Sixty-twenty to Slytherin!" The bored commentators voice met James' ears and he smiled, before spotting a gleaming golden shape at the foot of the Gryffindor keeper. He bent over the broom, wind causing his eyes to water and dry, darting between numerous players with practised agility and ease. The Gryffindor Keeper dodged as he flew towards them, their foot almost catching his face as he pulled on his broom, snatching the glittering ball in his hand as he turned upside down and flew between the three hoops. A loud cheer erupted from the Slytherin end, with some scattered applause from the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. A loud "whoop!" from behind him alerted him to Ricardo, who siezed him round the shoulders with a loud cheer, just as Lily, joined them, a somewhat awkward three-way hug taking place in mid-air, only to then become more so as the other team members crashed into them from the other side. Deneb could be heard amidst it all yelling "fuck you Bush!" in reference to the Gryffindor captain. James laughed as they fell to the floor, all filled with a boost of confidence and morale. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Scorpius doing a strange sort of line dance with Markeb and Deneb, and Ricardo hugging Lily warmly and smiling down at her.

James turned and headed for the changing room, grasping Larius' shoulder as he passed.

--

He was the first of the Slytherin to leave the changing room, and could hear the others laughing as he left. He walked slowly and absently, eyes on the floor as he considered both Scorpius and Ricardo; he knew Lily liked Ricardo. He knew Ricardo wouldn't act on anything. He thought maybe Scorpius liked Lily, but hoped to high heaven that he was wrong, and that if he were not, that the feelings were not reciprocated. It was somewhat odd to see his sister crushing on his best friend, and yet Ricardo seemed something close to oblivious. He flirted as though she were any one of his friends, he treated her like he treated Scorpius; he looked after her. And yet somehow, James knew that Lily was reading into his actions more than Ricardo had intended, and yet to tell him to stop would be to cause awkwardness between the newly founded group. He sighed to himself, then felt something hit his jaw, his gum bleeding. He swore, bringing his hand sharply to his mouth and looking down at the person he had just walked into.

"Sorry," he managed, swallowing back a mouthful of blood. "I wasn't looking where I was.." he stopped as he recognised them, interest replacing the painful stinging in his mouth. He took in the strawberry blonde hair, the bright green eyes, the soft, plump red lips and the flawless yet clean, make-up free skin. She was shorter than him, by a great deal, with a slim build and rather soft looking hands, an odd trait, given her Quidditch position. "You're the Keeper!" He said, wiping his lip and pointing his wand at his mouth, feeling the torn skin sew itself back together.

"Yeah," the girl before him smiled, flicking her hair from her face. "You almost knocked me off my broom with your catch!"

He smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. I didn't mean to."

She rolled her eyes. "Sure you didn't." She pointed at his lip. "You want to watch where you're going, dont know who you might run into." With a parting wink, she left him, heading into the Gryffindor changing room. He watched her go, blinking, then shook his head, hearing the rest of his team coming up the corridor behind him.

--

The Slytherin common room was loud and excited, filled with the echoes of the supporters cheers as the team entered the room to be greeted by handfuls of food and drink. Lily looked at James in wonderment as he smiled and pulled her towards the sofa that they had long since claimed as their own. The rest of the team joined them, Ricardo plonking himself down on Lily's right with a large smile. "Not a bad game, ey kiddo?"

Lily shook her head, grinning at him.

Mira joined them, sitting herself on James' lap and smiling at him, her blonde hair glittering in the light from the candles on the walls. "James, darling, you were absolutely fantastic today," she purred, her hand stroking his cheek lightly.

He smiled weakly. "Thanks..."

"Do you want to show me how fantastic you really are with your hands?" She said softly. James pulled her hand from his face and shook his head.

"I'm alright, thanks."

She pouted at him, but when he made no move, she moved over to Ricardo, placing a hand on his leg. "You were too Ricky baby!"

Ricardo raised an eyebrow coolly. "Thanks Mira, but I'm not really in the mood either, Denebs over there, he's the Captain." Ricardo nodded towards Deneb who was stood giving a blow-by-blow account of the game,with particular emphasis on one save he had made.

Mira sighed, "what is it with you Quidditch men?" She stroked his hair affectionately. "You know where I am if you change your mind."

She sauntered off, taking time to sway her hips in case James or Ricardo happened to be watching. Niether were. "Sometimes I worry about her," James muttered. Ricardo agreed silently. Lily sat between them uncomfortably.

"Why do you sleep with her then?" Lily said tentatively. Both boys looked at her in shock, then exchanged glances with one another; James looked horrified, while Ricardo looked amused.

"Because to put it bluntly," Ricardo started, "she's..."

"Our own little teddy bear when we get cold!"

Lily looked at her brother in such a similar way to their mother that he started. "I know what sex is James."

Ricardo guffawed, stuffing his fist in his mouth to keep quiet. James was looking blank.

"How do you..? Have you..? Has Scorpius..?"

It was Lily's turn to laugh. "No. Scorpius hasn't... Ricardo on the other hand..."

Ricardo paled. "Don't bring me into this! He'll have my balls with his spaghetti!"

Giggling, Lily said, "Mum told me when i was about seven James. Please grow up."

"I... you... if that Scorpius touches you, I'll..."

Lily rolled her eyes. "You'll what, tell Dad?"

"Well... yeah actually!" James looked smug.

"I'll just tell him that it was you who stole his contraceptive potions last summer then." She smiled. "So go ahead..."

James was silent then shrugged. "I bet he knows anyway."

"Actually he thought it was Remus and Alastor because they'd asked what they were the day before."

Lily stood up, leaving them with a smile on her face.

Ricardo nodded appreciatively. "She's good."

"Shut it.

--

James lay on his bed in silence, listening to the quiet of his room, hearing the gentle sounds of the grounds through his open window, feeling the gentle breeze that blew across his chest as he lay, silently looking up at the ceiling and wondering to himself about the strange Keeper who had interrupted his thoughts as he looked at Mira, a girl he had never truly turned away when it came down it do, always knowing that she was worth it, whether she would move on to the next man or not. Was it that she looked a lot like Mira? Or possibly that Mira looked a lot like her? He knew that he found the Keeper attractive, even in her Quidditch robes; in the space of a second he was enthralled by her eyes, her lips, her smile. And had she really been flirting with him? Could that wink really considered flirtatious?

He sighed, rolling onto his front and grabbing his pillow in annoyance. He'd forget about her come morning.

--

**Ok guys, I know it was a while in coming, I've hardly been at home, and when I have, I focused on In Faith of Tomorrow.**

**I have a sequel to this lined up too (I know!) and it could stand as its own story without this needing to have been completely, but it's really a question of whether you would like me to focus on this, or have this and another story standing apart from one another, though with certain bits interlinking, but not necessary. In case any of you would like the new one, you'll be able to find a brief on it on my profile/bio on this site.**

**Let me know how you found this chapter :-)**

**Mage of the Heart**

**x**


	4. Hogsmeade

--

--

**I dont own any of the Harry Potter characters**

**--**

He awoke in the middle of the night, to the loud cries of pain resonating from Ricardo's bed on the other side of the room. He slid from his own sheets, deliberately making as much noise as he could as he walked across the room, aiming his wand at the curtains that shrouded Ricardo from view and making them rattle open as loud as possible. His friend shot up in his bed, sweating and gasping, tears on his face as he looked around in confusion and fear. James was used to it. After six years, he knew the turns that his friend had in the middle of the night, knew how to calm him down and how to stop him feeling so lost.

"Ricardo," James said, moving to the bottom of Ricardo's bed and meeting the glistening blue eyes with his own grey ones. The confusion in them died down, ebbing away into nothingness, just as Ricardo's deep breaths became quieter.

Nodding his head, Ricardo peeled the sheets away from his sweating body. "Fine..." he nodded again, as though reassuring himself. "Thanks.."

James nodded. "Want me to come with you?" He queried as Ricardo headed towards the door of their dormitory. Shaking his head in the negative, the other boy left without another word. James watched him leave, sighing to himself. He knew what haunted Ricardo's mind, and was certain that if he himself had such memories coming to surface every time he slept, he too might have the same trouble sleeping. Flopping down on his own, green-curtained four poster bed, James looked up at the cieling, before rolling over and falling back to sleep.

--

If he hadn't seen her at breakfast, he wasn't sure he'd have remembered her at all, a fact that annoyed him unreasonably. She caught his eye as she sauntered past, sending him a mysterious look, then casting her eyes over both he and Ricardo's robed forms. Ricardo didn't notice. James bristled with a mixture of excitement and annoyance.

"Who's she?" He asked Deneb, who had also noticed her passing by.

Deneb watched her sitting down between two boys, both of whom were muscular and rather good looking, before saying, "Gryffindor Keeper."

James rolled his eyes. "Yes, I know that. I mean her name!"

Deneb shrugged. "Don't know. Don't care. She's a Gryffindor. All a bunch of losers when it comes to Quidditch."

With a sigh, James looked at Ricardo, who had also turned his head in the Keepers direction. "That's Lola Welthyne." Ricardo said, seemingly interested. "Her Dad owns the Prophet."

All three of them looked her over again.

"Pureblood?" Deneb asked.

James scowled at him. "Why's that important?"

The other boy shrugged. "Just wondering..."

"Yeah, she is," Ricardo looked at her again, then turned away, apparently disinterested after a second glance.

"I call dibs!" Deneb laughed, slamming his hand on the table.

With a violent glare that could have killed, James argued. "I saw her first!"

Ricardo howled with laughter as Deneb attempted to argue, throwing his arm around James' shoulder and saying softly, "but Dennybabes, what about us?" With a pout, and one final laugh, he stood up, clapping James on the shoulder and smiling at Lily almost nervously as he left the Great Hall. Lily smiled back, looking confused, but turned to talk to Scorpius before James could question it.

--

James felt as though she were following him; wherever he went he seemed to find her, whether in the library returning a book, in the owlery posting a letter to his parents, in the Great Hall, when he deliberately chose to go late, even outside the toilets. Until the day before, he had never seen her or recognized her; now he couldn't lose her, and his initial attraction was becoming increasingly more so the more he saw her. While she had been attractive to him in her robes, in her everyday clothing she caught his eye like no other; she was curvaceous, her breasts and buttocks swelling delightfully, and with a slim waist that would have been perfect to hold had he been permitted. Her hair was tied loosely on her head, she wore make-up that wasn't plastered on, but that gave just the right amount of coverage. She would seem to look at him, smile knowingly, then turn her eyes away. He almost walked over to her to begin a conversation when he turned the Charms corridor to see her, but Alastor suddenly appeared, pulling him aside with murder in his grey eyes.

"That was a filthy trick you pulled!"

James grinned. The temptation to tease his little brother, whether Lola was there or not, was too high to be resisted. "No, little brother, you're just too inexperienced to know a Wronski feint from an actual dive for the snitch." He smirked. "You'll learn!"

Alastor glared at him, anger showing as he clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white. "You're a sore loser! You know I'd have won if you'd just played fairly!"

"That was fair! It's a well acknowledged tactic! It's not my fault you can't play!"

"You're a fucking dick James!"

James chortled. "Yes, Al, I'm a dick. Whatever you say!" He patted his brother on the head lightly. "Only two years younger than me, yet you still act like a five year old!" He looked around for Lola, realizing she was not there. With a sigh, he stepped back. "Mum wants you and Remus to owl her. She says she's worried you've fallen down the toilet you haven't written in so long!" He smirked. "And, Dad says it's time we pulled a prank, so get down to the Charms classroom at ten tonight." He smiled, pushing his brother lightly away from him, and striding down the corridor.

"See you there!" Alastor called after him. James put his thumb up over his shoulder, not looking back as he caught sight of Lola's blonde hair emerging from the toilets ahead of him.

--

"You're kidding me?" Ricardo said, stifling a laugh and attempting to keep a straight face. "Tell me again because I swear I heard you wrong!"

"No, you didn't. It happened."

Ricardo howled with laughter, eyes watering. "Oh god, thats fucking hilarious!" He grasped James' shoulder, gasping for breath. "Oh fuck... I can't breathe..." laughing breathlessly, Ricardo swiped at his tears of amusement.

James hit him hard, leaving a red mark on Ricardo's arm. Ricardo didn't seem to care. Lily and Scorpius joined them promptly, and the blue eyed boy took great pleasure in recalling Lily's brothers tale to her.

"So James' likes this girl right, this _Gryffindor _girl-"

"That's not important!" James snapped.

Ricardo smirked, "but it's worth dropping into conversation!" He turned back to Lily, "anyway, he walks upto her in the corridor right, and just, strikes up a conversation, you know, as you do! But, most guys, if a girl keeps glancing at their crotch and blushing for no apparent reason, would check, just to make sure there was nothing untoward going on down there, but you know, James isn't good at talking to the ladies, so if a girls looking at his crotch, he doesn't really want them to look away, as, lets face it, they might never look again!" Lily giggled, waiting for Ricardo to continue. He paused for dramatic effect, earning another clout round the head from James.

"Anyway," he went on, "so there chatting away, and shes pretending not to notice anything, and then she just blurts out, 'please do your zip up'. And, as if it was bad enough that he was flying low, your brother chose today to go commando didn't he?"

Lily and Scorpius shrieked with laughter, while James turned a shade of red as vibrant as their Uncle Ron's hair.

"Shut it," he growled at Ricardo.

"Oh look, there she is now!" Leaping to his feet, Ricardo waved his arms in the air madly as a pair of Hufflepuffs walked in. James hid, not realizing, and the other three laughed uncontrollably.

"Don't worry, it's not really her."

--

If that run-in with Lola was painful, the next few days were torture. Whenever he saw her, she would blush, looking away and avoiding eye contact, and he would check his fly out of paranoia. He walked into her once, and she too checked his trousers. After that, he made sure to avoid walking into anyone, and wore his shirts untucked to avoid further embarrassment.

The worst bit, James thought wistfully, was that they had been getting on rather well... even despite his fly being open. Now it was difficult to look at her, let alone talk to her, yet he was thankful that the word had not spread around school; the trouble it could cause for him as Head Boy to have rumours spread would be traumatizing to say the least.

It was a week before he got the chance to talk to her again. It was Saturday morning, and the Gryffindor team were leaving the Quidditch pitch, just as Slytherin were arriving. Hanging back in the changing rooms, James caught Lola's arm as she walked past him, bringing up the rear of her team. He pulled her gently away, one finger pressed to his lips in a request for silence. She looked at him nervously, she too apparently recalling their last conversation on their own.

"I just wanted to say thanks," he said softly when the team had got out of earshot, "for not... telling people about... the thing..." he flushed red. "I just.. it would've been embarassing."

She smiled at him nervously. "Oh... right..." she shrugged. "It was nothing. Really, I just... it didn't seem fair."

He smiled back. "I just thought I'd come and say that..." he scuffed his foot on the floor and they stood silently for several moments. "So.." he trailed off, Lola grinned.

"So." Their eyes met for a moment, and James struggled to move his mouth.

"I... you... I better... go."

Lola looked at him disappointedly, her face crestfallen. James had turned and headed for the door before she spoke up.

"Do you want to come to Hogsmeade with me next week?"

James froze, then turned ever so slowly on the spot, frowning. "Hogsmeade? With... me? You want... me to go... with you?"

She blushed. "Only if you fancy it.."

"I'd... that'd be... should I... do you..?"

"Is that a yes?" Lola asked tentatively.

James grinned shakily. "Yeah... yeah... I'll see you then?"

"Definitely," she winked. "Owl me!"

"I... I will..." James said, feeling slightly stunned as she turned and left the room.

He promptly fell off his broom five times in practice.

--

Lily giggled at him. Ricardo, Deneb, Markeb and Jared howled in amusement. James told them where to shove it.

"Look, just because none of you got asked out by her doesn't mean you have to laugh at me alright?"

"She's a Gryffindor mate," Deneb said in an undertone, "stick with the Slytherins."

James glared at him. "You're pathetic."

He shrugged. "Telling it like it is. You'll be dead meat the moment you cross that line."

"Oh get over yourself," James snapped. "We're not living twenty years ago anymore, Slytherin's dont have to kill Gryffindor's on sight!" He stood up, leaving the room with anger etched into the lines of his face.

Deneb laughed shakily. "He overreacted didn't he?"

The others glared at him, all equally annoyed. Deneb fell quiet.

--

Saturday morning was snowy, the lanes of Hogsmeade all blanketed in white, fresh footprints being formed as they trudged towards the shops. Lola stood on James' right, and they walked in companionable silence towards Honeydukes. "You want to go in?" He asked as they reached the door. Lola nodded, blowing on her hands as they entered the hot, sweet smelling room. James grinned at her as she began to take off her coat.

"It'll just get cold again when the door opens.." and sure enough, there was a sharp, cold wind as a few fifth years entered the shop.

"Told you," he muttered, as Lola shivered and wrapped her coat around her again. She slapped him playfully on the arm, then pulled him towards the large new sugar quills.

"You know, I always loved these." She picked one up, placing a sickle in the hand of the man behind the counter before sucking it into her mouth with a wicked smile on her face.

James shuddered, closing his eyes and breathing deeply before reaching towards the same box of quills and promptly snapping off the top of it with his teeth, to the angry rantings of the shop owner.

"You going to pay for that?" He snapped, pushing past several young boys and facing James' gaze levelly. "You can't just walk in here and snap my stuff in half without paying!"

"I'm... I'm going to pay!" James said, choking on his bitten quill. He stuffed his hand in his pocket and pulled out a sickle. "Sorry... I just..." He stopped, seeing Lola over the mans shoulder, sniggering as she sucked the quill gently between her teeth. He paid the money over, only half listening to the berating that he recieved from the shop owner.

"Get out!" He was told. He grabbed Lola's arm and pulled her out into the street, half-laughing at her amusement, half wanting to hit her.

"It's not funny!" James said. "I didn't mean to steal it, I just forgot!"

"You're face when he caught you!" Lola breathed out, exhaling her laughter and releasing a steamy breath. "It was priceless!"

James smiled, slightly embarrassed. "Sorry I got us thrown out.."

"YOU got thrown out," Lola corrected him. "I could walk back in there and buy it all without questioning whether I shoved anything down my top..." she smirked. "Which, by the way, I might just have done..." she reached down her coat, withdrawing a bag of Bertie Botts, and then another little box, containing a chocolate frog. James stared at her, shocked, then laughed, taking the Bertie Botts and selecting a green one he strongly suspected to be sprouts. She took it, only to breathe on his face and reveal it was peppermint. He scowled, taking the purple she offered, then promptly wanting to vomit. "Eurgh, beetroot!" He spat it out, shaking his head vigorously. "That's rancid!"

Lola smiled, grabbing his hand and pulling him down the street, "come on you little thief, we'd better be moving along!"

He looked down at their hands nervously, then smiled as she pulled him along into various little shops.

--

They visited the Weasley twins shop, the Owl Emporium, the bookstore, then finally entered Madam Puddifoots, which was decorated in pink, with confetti falling down around them. James grimaced, to Lola's amusement, ordering them both a hot chocolate with cream and stealing a corner table, looking out into the snowy field behind the shop.

"How often do you come in here?" James asked sourly, looking at the other occupants of the coffee shop, all of whom were couples, some of which were same-sex. He shuddered slightly at two men having a violent war of tongues, looking back at Lola who was stirring her drink absently.

"Oh... whenever I'm with a guy in Hogsmeade I suppose.."

James raised an eyebrow. "How often's that?"

Lola smirked. "Up till now, it was every time with the same person."

Trying to look interested, but not overly inquisitive, James raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

She smirked, apparently seeing through his act. "I had a childhood sweetheart, he's in my house, my year, lives near me... we've been close since we were five... he asked me out when we were thirteen, and I finished it when we were sixteen."

"Three years?" James gawped.

She smirked. "Oh we'd kissed and stuff before that!"

"Before thirteen?" He was shell-shocked, and made no attempt to hide it. "Merlin's pants. How much stuff?"

She grinned. "Well, when we got taught sex education, we wanted to know what it was like... so we tried things!"

James stared. "And what, you were eleven?"

"Twelve, technically, but yes... a bit young, I'll admit."

"So you..." he waved his hand to emphasize a point. "You know. At twelve?"

"Gods no," she laughed, shrugging her coat off and smiling across at him. "Didn't do that until we were fourteen... we just fooled around a bit!"

James's mouth hung agape.

"Twelve? That's... kind of sick.."

She shrugged. "Yeah, I suppose so. But you know, that's over now."

"Why?" He couldn't hide his interest really, after finding that out, and so proceeded with his questioning.

"Well, lets just say that we suffered a major incompatibility."

Frowning, James' asked, "which was..?"

She smiled. "He liked men."

James snorted into his drink, spraying her with hot chocolate and gasping as his throat burned and tears stung his eyes. "You... I mean.. he..?"

"Oh, he liked women too!" She said with a smile, "but preferred men. Actually.." she turned and pointed at the embracing male couple in the corner. "That's him and his new boyfriend right there!"

James cringed. "How did you find out, exactly?"

She smiled. "I caught him looking at porno of men when I visited in the summer... but to be honest, it was over long before I found that out."

Falling silent, he tapped his fingers on the desk, unsure what to say.

Lola smirked. "I don't have feelings for him, if that's what you're wondering." She shrugged and traced her lips with a finger. "I'm just horny I think."

James stiffened, meeting her eyes worriedly. "You..."

She laughed. "Oh get over yourself! If I'd wanted a shag there's boys in Gryffindor."

"So why am I here?" James queried, feeling somewhat laid open.

"Because," she said, grasping his hand and interlocking their fingers, "I thought I'd get back in the dating scene again... and I caught sight of your goods, which is as good an excuse as any for you to say yes."

He grinned. "So this is a date is it?" he asked, nervously.

"Quite possibly."

James twisted her hand in his lightly. "Well, thats nice."

"Mmm, I think so.." she pouted slightly at him, then winked. "You don't flirt much do you?"

He looked down, slightly unnerved. "I'm... a bit of a stumbler, if I'm honest."

"Yeah... so if you were flirting with me, what would you do?" She absently trailed her hand over his wrist, relishing the sharp intake of breath he made.

"I wouldn't," James said simply. "I'd wait for you to do something, and then I'd act on it."

"I'm doing something now..."

He smiled. "Not enough to convince me..."

She lowered her eyelids at him, "that was rather husky Mister Black..."

Grinning slightly, James shook his head. He initially opened his mouth to speak, but changed his mind, looking down.

"Ohh, you almost retorted then!" She teased, laughing as he flushed. "What were you going to say?"

He hesitated, then looked up. "I was going to tell you that that voice was nothing compared to my bedroom voice..."

She smiled. "Well, maybe I'll hear that sometime."

James blanched. "Wh... what?"

She rolled her eyes. "That was me propositioning you." Lola winked, then checked her watch. "Better get going big boy, we'll be late for dinner."

"Wh.. what?"

"It's five o'clock?"

"Really?" James looked around, realizing they were the only students still there.

"Really." Lola stood, putting her coat back on and holding out her hand for his. He nervously took it, then let her lead him down the High Street and back towards Hogwarts.

--

"I suppose the polite thing to do would be to walk me to my door," Lola considered slowly, "but you wouldn't be able to find your way back from Gryffindor tower, would you?"

James grinned. "Doubtful."

They stopped at the bottom of the marble staircase, standing in the shadow slightly away from the sights of passers by. She looked up at him, apparently finding something particularly interesting on his lips as she began to watch them softly. He licked them tentatively, eyes shifting from her to the wall repeatedly.

"So... this was fun..." he said, squeezing her hand lightly. "We'll have to do it again sometime..."

"Yeah... maybe we will..." she ran her other hand lightly over his arm, never stopping looking at his lips slightly dazedly.

"Right..." James looked down at their hands and gulped. "So I'll... see you soon... I guess..."

"Mmm, yeah..." she edged slightly closer, bringing her eyes up to meet his."How long do I have to look at your lips before you kiss me?"

"I..." he stuttered, feeling rather stupid and useless. "I... well.. you... I didn't think... maybe you wouldn't like... I wasn't really..."

"Shut up," she muttered. He fell quiet, looking at her and feeling pathetic. "Kiss me," she said, moving his hands and placing them on her waist before draping her own arms round his neck.

James blinked. "Kiss... you?"

"Yes."

He frowned. "Why?"

Why? He asked himself. Because you want to! Put your lips on hers and bloody well kiss her before she thinks you're a virgin and leaves!

"Because I want you to," she smiled, standing on tip-toe to his level. "And it's rude to ignore a girls desires you know!"

"Yeah..." James muttered, "I heard..." he moved slowly, moving his neck and leaning forwards, head tilted to one side. He rubbed her nose lightly first, his own nose soft on hers, before pressing his lips to hers softly and tenderly, moving against her gently. She smiled into it, kissing back with a deeper fervor than he gave, sliding her hands into his hair.

His thumbs rubbed gently in the hollows of her hips, before he pulled back softly, placing a peck on her lips before breaking the embrace.

"You do know what you're doing then..." she said in wonderment. "All this time I thought you were a little virgin boy."

"I'm not." He said. "I just... save it."

She smiled. "So I see," she pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. "bye now Mister Secretive."

"Goodbye Mrs..." he frowned. "Erm..."

She giggled and whispered in his ear, "the opposite of secretive is probably obvious."

"It is?"

"Yes."

"... so what is it?"

She looked at him in amusement. "I just told you!"

"You said..." he blushed again, something that seemed to happen far too often in her presence. "Sorry. Bye Mrs Obvious."

She nodded. "You'll do." With a teasing stroke of his nose, she left him, swaying her hips as she headed up the marble staircase. He exhaled shakily, only just aware that he hadn't been breathing properly.

"Merlin's beard," he whispered. She was more of a Slytherin than he was!

--

**Ahhh...**

**See, I really like Lola :)**

**she's fun.**

**Sorry it's short. And it took a while. I've taken to writing every chapter out on paper recently first, just so I get a feel for it better. For some reason typing it up doesn't put it in my brain quite as well as handwriting it.**

**Anyways,**

**reviews appreciated**

**And while you're here, go check out Dreamcatcher if you haven't already. That's hopefully getting updated soon as well, (and I'm in the process of a SERIOUSLY smutty oneshot with Sirius/Hermione... as soon as I can get it right, it'll be up - promise!)**

**Mage of the Heart**


	5. Are You Wearing Boxers?

I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters

**I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters**

**--**

He knew he s_houldn't_ be looking over at her like he was. He knew it would spark rumours, and he knew it would make him look like a fool, but somehow he couldn't _help_ but look over at her. She sat amongst her friends, looking in any direction, it seemed, but at him, and he couldn't place why it was that he was so desperate for her attention, having spent only one afternoon with her.

She sat there, perfectly content to laugh with her friends and drink her morning pumpkin juice, without so much as a glance in his direction, whilst he couldn't even begin to follow the conversations going on around him, nor could he take a sip of his coffee, for fear that it would have a violent reaction with his stomach, and send him into a sickness that could last for weeks.

One afternoon with her, one day, one little kiss, and he was unable to think of anything else. He felt happy -elated, even- yet sad at the same time. He remembered the feel of her pressed up against him and felt warm, but the moment he saw her face turned to another person he felt angry, hurt, even violent. He was desperate to spend more time with her, desperate to stop her looking at the sickeningly tall, broad figure of Marcus Helman, a seventh year Gryffindor who, by the looks of things, had his sights on Lola.

James didn't like him. It wasn't a matter of what the boy was like- for all he knew, Marcus might well be a very nice person, with exceedingly good manners, perhaps even a fantastic sense of humour and all the attributes James liked in his friends-, no, it was the simple matter that Marcus looked at Lola in a way that James felt, given Saturday afternoon's course of events, only he should be allowed to do.

But Lola, it seemed, thought differently. She was flirting outrageously, James thought, and he needn't hear the conversation to know that much. She was laughing at his jokes, she was leaning over to point out something on his essay, she was -Merlin forbid it- passing him the sugar bowl! Clenching his fist around his fork, James gritted his teeth, forcefully stabbing at his egg repeatedly, watching the yolk run out onto the plate and wishing very much that it was Helman's head on his plate, bleeding violently as Lola looked on and applauded. Stupid Helman, he thought. Stupid, stupid Helman!

He looked up again, after thoroughly masticating the egg so that it looked as though it should have been scrambled to begin with, to see her, finally, looking over at him. He dropped his fork, hand flying to his hair as if to check that he had not left clumps of hair gel in it, a goofy grin on his face that made her grin and roll her eyes, before turning back to Helman.

Feeling rather smug, James finally helped himself to a few sausages and a breakfast muffin, grinning from ear-to-ear. He'd like to see Helman beat that grin across the room! Well, actually, he considered, I wouldn't...

With renewed happiness however, James headed for his first lesson of the day, where he doodled thoughtlessly on his parchment and paid no attention whatsoever to a word Professor Golsum said, and so found himself attempting to answer a question on how best to defend oneself against a vampire with nothing but Lola in his head.

"Erm..." he frowned, not really sure what to say. How could he tell the whole class that he'd been thinking about a girl when he should have been thinking about bad-breathed, bloody-toothed vampires? Well... he couldn't, he reasoned, especially not with Helman in the room. He looked at Ricardo, who was frantically mouthing the word 'garlic' to him. James smiled. "Garlic?" He said suddenly. Ricardo gave him the thumbs up, and James smirked. As long as Ricardo wasn't lovesick, he'd be fine.

--

An owl caught up with him as he headed toward his second lesson, swooping down suddenly to land on his shoulder, shocking several of the people surrounding him as it held out the letter in it's beak. James unfolded it with a frown, then grinned widely, unable to contain the pure ecstasy that shot through his body.

_Don't care what your next lesson is, skip it._

_Meet me outside the old transfiguration classroom._

_Quickly._

_Lola_

_x_

"Tell Snape I'm I'll," James said to Deneb. "I've got somewhere to go!"

And with that, he took off, not listening as Deneb looked at him in utter shock. Ricardo blinked at him, but James didn't notice, and turned around, quickly running up the next staircase and towards the abandoned transfiguration classroom.

--

Lola was there already, tapping her wand lightly on her fingers as she waited for him, her strawberry blonde hair looking extra-shiny today. She'd put on some make-up, though not much. Her eyelashes looked longer, and her lips were red against her pale skin. He grinned at her as he approached, and she smiled too, standing straight and taking his hand the moment he was close enough, pulling him eagerly into the empty classroom and locking it behind her quickly. James blinked, slightly shocked at her enthusiasm, but all thought was blasted from his mind as she put her arms around his neck and kissed him with a burning ferocity that he had never experienced with anyone. He pulled her flush against him, one hand finding its way into her hair and cradling the back of her head as he pushed his tongue into her waiting mouth. She let out a moan that made his eyes roll back into his head, before sliding a hand up the slightly untucked back of his shirt. James hissed as her cool hand caressed his skin, reciprocating the movement by sliding the hand that was not in her hair down to her buttocks, rubbing it gently as she pressed harder against him, apparently not minding in the least. He disentangled his fingers from her hair, pushing his hand up the back of her shirt to find the clasp of her bra. He waited hesitantly for her to respond, and when she let out a loud moan of encouragement, he snapped it open easily, just as her hands left his back to tease open his fly. She pulled back from the kiss smirking at him wickedly. "So this time, I'm allowed to see my little friend am I?" and her hands made quick work of him, pushing the trousers low on his hips. She let out a disappointed groan when she saw his boxers. "Why, oh why?" she asked, tutting at him. James raised an eyebrow inquisitively, less nervous around her now they were in such easy territory. "I can't shag you like this," she said suddenly, pulling away and running a hand through her hair lightly.

This time, James blinked and looked shocked. "Because I'm wearing boxers?"

"Mmmhmm..." she nodded, looking at the offending garment with disdain. "I'm allergic to them."

"Allergic to..?"

"Well," Lola went on, shrugging. "Not so much allergic but..." she smiled, "I like a guy in commando... it's kind of... sexy..." she licked her lips seductively and ran a hand up his chest. She seemed to hum thoughtfully before saying, "Marcus goes in commando."

James let out a feral growl he wouldn't have thought humanly possible, crashing his mouth to hers again and pulling her roughly against him. "Helman's a pussy," he told her softly, twisting round and pressing her back onto the nearest desk, hand sliding down her front and towards her fly. "And you deserve better than that..."

He kissed her again, hand undoing her zip and button easily, pushing under her knickers as he pressed two fingers into her warmth. "What do I deserve?" She whispered excitedly.

James met her eyes, grey meeting green dangerously. "Me." He said, voice rough and hoarse. Lola smiled, even as he elicitted a gasp from her mouth as he rubbed circles into her clitoris.

"You think highly of yourself," she murmured, eyes closed as he pushed his fingers repeatedly in and out of her waiting heat. "I hope you can back it up..."

"Trust me," James ground out, "I can."

He bent over her, still pumping his fingers into her vigorously, feeling her clench as his thumb rubbed at her clit, and pressing his face into her neck, sucking her skin lightly into his mouth before biting it, hard.

Lola whimpered and came, her words undecipherable as she reached a high that only an orgasm could give. "Yes..." she gasped as he withdrew his fingers and re-fastened her trousers. "I agree... you can back it up." She sat up, meeting James' eyes lustfully and pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. "Time to go," she said innocently, though the devilish smirk on her face severely contradicted her. James looked at her in confusion.

"Excuse me?" He asked, placing his hands on her waist and pulling her back to look him in the face. "That's it?"

"I told you," she said softly, "I'm allergic to boxers." She pouted, patting his cheek patronizingly. "If you're a good boy and don't wear any next time, maybe I'll be nice and pay you back." She kissed him languidly, though he didn't respond, so shocked was he that any kind of mental-physical connection seemed temporarily lost.

"I've got another free tomorrow afternoon," Lola said. "Fourth." With a quick look at him, she smiled, "I'll be here if you fancy another go."

"I've got a lesson," James managed.

Lola shrugged. "Shame." With a playful squeeze of the bulge in his trousers, she left, a smirk firmly in place as she went.

James stared after her for several moments, unable to believe what had just happened. Just when he managed to sort himself out and compose himself, she entered the room with that wicked, arousing grin on her face. "Jamesy baby, could you do my bra up for me? I can't get it right!"

James groaned inwardly. It was just his luck, really. He should've shagged Mia - at least then he wouldn't be so horny. Biting his lip to restrain himself, James refastened Lola's bra, his eyes averted as much as he could so that he didn't have to look at the delectable figure that had just quaked so willingly beneath him, but which seemed to deny him now.

"Till later, hey hun?" She kissed his cheek fleetingly, then skipped from the room. James watched her leave again, knowing with absolute certainty, that he was buggered.

--

Fourth lesson came about the next day, and after her refusing point blank to look at him in the last twenty four hours, he was sorely tempted to go along and find out why. But he had Potions, again, and it would be just his luck that Snape realized he was sneaking off to meet a girl, and he'd have his mother here to pick him up within moments.

He spent the hour when he was supposed to be making Polyjuice potion half-heartedly chopping whatever ingredient Deneb set in front of him, glowering darkly at his watch every five minutes or so, as though it would suddenly tell him he was in the wrong lesson and that he was supposed to have a free period now.

When the bell rang, he didn't even bother to clean up, he simply grabbed his bag and raced from the classroom, up several flights of stairs, and into the empty corridor that she had so calmly stood in the day before. He looked around and saw nobody, and was about to head back to the Slytherin common room when Lola emerged from the empty classroom, sucking a sugar quill thoughtfully as she went. He would have liked to say it was a good thing she didn't look annoyed with him; the fact was, he wanted her to be annoyed, wanted her to be angry, because at least then he'd have made an impact...

"Hi James," she said lightly, walking past and trailing a hand over his arm gently. He closed his eyes briefly, then turned and caught up with her.

"Lola, I'm sorry, I had Potions... I couldn't miss it twice I was just..."

"Don't worry," Lola said sweetly. "Marcus kept me company for most of the time. I had fun."

James felt his gut clench. "Helman?"

"Right in one!" She smiled at him warmly. "What are you doing now?"

Feeling a smile grow on his face, he said. "I've got a free if you want to.."

Lola sighed. "I wish I could James, I really do! But I've got Charms now. Maybe tomorrow, yeah?"

James blinked several times, swallowing a lump in his throat. "You've got Charms... now?"

"Yes."

"Can't you... I dunno... skip it?"

She shook her head. "No, I can't. I've got an essay to give in."

Stunned, James couldn't think of much to say. "But you... I thought... well it's just..."

Grinning devilishly, Lola reached up and pulled his face down to hers, giving him a searing kiss that made him forget what he was trying to say.

"What about tonight?" she asked softly, ignoring the startled gasps of one or two fifth years, apparently shocked to see a Slytherin locking mouths with a Gryffindor.

"I've got rounds..." he muttered.

Lola's eyes danced. "Great, I'll see you there!"

James frowned. "See me where?"

She tiptoed over to him and whispered gently in his ear, "same place. Ten o'clock?"

"That's curfew..." James said, "you'll have to be in bed."

Mischief crept over her face. "Maybe I will be," she said quietly, "maybe I'll be in yours."

And then she left, and James felt elated and confused all at once.

--

The fact he'd been kissing a Gryffindor seemed to have found its way back to the common room before he did, and instantly Mia and Jared were onto him.

"Is it true that it was Lola Welthyne?" Jared asked, grinning. James nodded dumbly. With a bark of laughter, Jared said, "how was she? Is she better than Mia?" Apparently oblivious to Jared's comment, Mia rounded on James, her voice soft and pathetic to James' ears.

"What about me Jamesy?" she said pitifully, reaching up to stroke his hair. "Will you still have time for me?"

"I... I dunno.." James looked at Jared for help, but the other boy was still eagerly waiting for the answer to his question.

"Are you... you know... exclusive?"

James shrugged. "I never really... I didn't get around to... we didn't discuss it!"

Mia looked at him, then jumped up and kissed him on the mouth, hard. James wasn't quite sure what to do; he couldn't kiss her back, and yet she was now busying herself with wrapping her legs round his waist... Jared finally interrupted, tapping Mia on the shoulder. She looked at him in annoyance, and James took this oppurtunity to push her away. She looked at him fiercely. "How about I come and do your rounds with you tonight?" She said suddenly.

James shook his head, "No, not a good idea... erm... I think McGonnagall's doing rounds tonight as well..."

She looked downcast, then sighed. "Well, when this all goes to shit with that Gryffindor whore, you make sure to let me know, won't you?"

James bristled angrily as she walked away, telling himself repeatedly that he could not jinx a girl, especially when her back was turned.

Jared was laughing to James' left, and when James finally looked round, the other boy said again, "so, how was she?"

Shaking his head, James said, "I don't know... we haven't... it's only been three days."

"Three days? Jeez James, you're usually in and out within one day! You're not actually _dating_ this one are you?"

James shrugged. "Well... yeah, actually I suppose I am..."

Jared groaned loudly, turning the heads of several sixth years who were attempting to study. "You can't date a Gryffindor!"

"Why not?" He asked sharply. "Why does it make any difference if she wears a red tie and not a green one?"

Jared looked at him in horror. "That's exactly the point!" He said, aghast. "She wears red. You wear green! Green and red equals..." he flailed his arms around hopelessly, "it doesn't equal anything!"

"I don't see your point." James muttered.

"She's a Gryffindor! Gryffindor's are just.. they're so... why would you want to date one?"

"Look," James said angrily, "half of my family are in Gryffindor, alright, and if I want to date a Gryffindor, it's my opinion and not yours that matters, understand? I like this girl, so either accept it, or shut up!"

Jared raised his hands in mock surrender. "Sorry!" He said sarcastically, rolling his eyes and adding in an undertone, "bet she's shit in bed though!"

Just as James was about to launch himself at Jared, Ricardo appeared from nowhere, grabbing him around the chest and pulling him back, glaring at Jared warningly before pulling his friend quickly away and turning around to look at him. "What the _hell_ was that about?" he hissed, looking at James searchingly.

James bit the inside of his cheek in an attempt to stop from yelling, then blurted out angrily, "he's talking shit about Lola and I'm not..."

Ricardo interrupted, "so the rumours true then?"

James nodded slowly. "Yeah... yeah it's true but..."

"Look mate, it might not be any of my business, but if you go around the school kissing her, people are going to talk and-"

"I like her! Why shouldn't I kiss her if I bloody want to?"

Ricardo rolled his eyes. "I was just getting to that bit!" he said. "And if you want to kiss her that badly, then just do it because at the end of the day, it's not their throat your sticking your tongue down, is it?"

Unable to resist grinning, James nodded. "Yeah... I know that. But I'm not going to stand around and have people make comments about it just because its not the commonly done thing!"

Shrugging, Ricardo said, "nobody's asking you to. Actually, if you did do nothing, I'd only disown you, and then where would you be, 'ey?"

He clapped James on the shoulder, then muttered quietly. "Is she good?"

James grinned. "I'll tell you as soon as I know."

Smiling broadly, Ricardo said, "that's my boy!"

Laughing, the two of them headed to the corner to complete an essay for Transfiguration, before traipsing off to the Great Hall for dinner.

--

Jared and Mia sat resolutely apart from the rest of them, and James made no move to reconcile with them; if they, or anyone else, could not accept that he was his own person and would do as he pleased, then he would not bend over backwards to make things better between them.

He could see Lola, next to Helman once again, and a pretty girl with red hair who he didn't recognise. He desperately wanted to run over and grab her, just to make the public announcement that he would touch her when he pleased, in public if he so wanted, and that they could all be damned if they couldn't accept them.

He considered it, but didn't follow it through. After all, he didn't actually have the guts to make the first move.

Lily nudged him with her elbow and he turned to look at her. She didn't say anything as she slid him a piece of folded parchment.

"What is it?" He asked, frowning.

Lily shrugged. "She said to give it to you," and with a smile she stood up, leaving the Great Hall with Scorpius to complete some homework in the library. James unfolded it, fingers fumbling and heart racing as he recognised Lola's handwriting.

_Want you._

_Can't wait til 10. Get to the empty girls toilets by half seven._

_L_

_x_

_p.s you looked sexy in those jeans on Saturday._

James choked on his potato, swallowing it hard before leaping to his feet.

"Where you going?" Ricardo said from the seat next to him. James grinned.

"Got somewhere to be." With a meaningful look that told Ricardo exactly where it was he had to be, he left the Great Hall, darting down the steps to the Slytherin Common Room, taking the stairs to his private rooms and hurriedly digging through his trunk for his jeans. After finding them and quickly cleaning them, he pulled them on, grinning to himself as he headed to his mirror and checked his hair. He didn't want to look too good, he reasoned... or at least he didn't want to look like he'd _tried_ to look good. He frowned as he searched for a t-shirt that was not too date-like, finally selecting a muggle band t-shirt and pulling it over his head, leaving his hair slightly mussed and careless. He grinned, just as Ricardo walked in, snorting.

"You're meeting her in a Muggle band top?"

"Yes." James said stubbornly. "Why?"

"She won't have a clue who they are!" Ricardo said, amused.

"Conversation starter."

Ricardo rolled his eyes. "I hope you're good in bed, because otherwise, you won't hear from her again!"

James glowered at him darkly. "Maybe we can actually hold a decent conversation!"

"So you're not going to sleep with her then?" Ricardo asked knowingly.

"I never said that..."

They both grinned.

"Have fun mate." Ricardo said.

"Oh, I will."

--

Lola wasn't there, and he was already ten minutes late. He let himself in and felt incredibly conspicuous, and he heard the tell-tale sobbing of Moaning Myrtle, her cries reverberating around the tiled room and making his ears burn. He understood now why girls avoided using this bathroom. He walked over to the sink which he knew to hold the passage to the Chamber of Secrets, from tales that his mother had shared with him in his youth, and ran a finger lightly over the serpentine 's' that was engraved in the side of the tap. He felt an odd urge to learn Parseltongue and open the hidden passageway, one that tugged at his stomach and made him desperate for knowledge. He looked at the cracked mirror above the sink and blinked, falling back from it as he tried to convince himself he had not seen red in the depths of his eyes.

"What are _you _doing here?" the whiny voice of Moaning Myrtle reached his ears and he span round to see her sitting atop a cubicle, her bespectacled eyes glaring at him.

He blinked, hand flying to his hair as he nervously searched for a reasonable excuse that would not land him in trouble.

"I..." he frowned, then smiled, "I came to see you!"

Myrtle snorted, but looked slightly more interested than before. "You don't even know me!"

"Of course I do! You're Myrtle! My Mum and Dad knew you too!"

"Who are they?" She said suspiciously.

"Hermione Granger," he said, smiling at her conspiratorially. "She came in here and... well... she made a Potion that went wrong and made her look like a cat."

Myrtle's eyes seemed to dance with glee. "I remember her!" She cackled wickedly, rocking back and forth on the top of the cubicle. "Is that Harry boy your father?"

James snorted. "Don't be stupid. Harry's like my Mum's brother! My Dad's Sirius Black..." he waited for her to react, smirking as she did so.

"Ohhh... yes..." she looked at him carefully, almost scrutinising him, before nodding. "You look like him."

"He spoke very highly of you!" James said, smirking.

"Really."

"Oh yeah... he said if you'd still been alive he'd have married you!" He had to fight to keep a straight face; in truth, his father had been -quite rightly- creeped out by the strangely haunting girl who seemed to make it her business to pop up it in his showers and baths.

Myrtle nodded, smiling. "Yes, what we had was very special." She swooped down suddenly, so that if she were not a mere projection of a persons image, they would have been nose to nose. "He came to see me all the time..."

James thought that that might have been a slight exaggeration of the truth; yes, Sirius had occasionally snuck into the bathroom, but only when he was in dire need of a place to hide and there was nowhere else to go.

"If I'd been alive, you'd have been my little boy..." she sighed dreamily, bobbing away from him. James shuddered visibly. There were a few moments while Myrtle seemed to float away to a world of her own, before she snapped round and glared at him. "Wasn't she a little young for him?"

"No." James said stubbornly. Instantly, he tried to right that answer, "I mean to say, he got... well... he fell through a veil and then came back younger. And then he and my Mum got closer..."

Myrtle began to sob, and James had to bite his lip to stop from laughing at her. Soon though, the sobs turned to wails, and he had to quickly exit the bathroom, shoving his fist into his mouth and trying to stop tears from flowing down his cheeks as he laughed. It was then he bumped into Lola, who looked at him with a smile of wry amusement.

"Is she crying again?" She asked with a knowing look.

James grinned and nodded. "Over my Dad."

Lola frowned. "What do you mean over your Dad?"

Smirking, James grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the bathroom. "I'll explain, as soon as we get out of here."

"Well where else are we going to go?" Lola asked, slightly irritably.

James stopped, looking at her for a moment, before saying. "Well... how about we have a look around and see what places we can find?"

"How about you grin and bear the sobbing?" Lola challenged him quickly. James clenched his jaw, but before he had the chance to retort, she was whispering to him seductively. "Aren't you feeling even the _teensiest_ bit naughty?"

James felt himself beginning to give in. "Not... particularly..." he managed, though the smile on her face told him she'd read the slight rise in his voice, the slight catch of his breath and the darkening of his grey eyes.

"Not at all?" She asked, running a hand over his bicep.

He shook his head slowly.

Lola shrugged. "If you say so. You're the one who got here early."

James flushed. "I was actually late, you just got here even later than I did!"

She smiled. "Well, that's your opinion, and you're entitled to it. But for all you know I might have been changing into sexy lace underwear..."

He groaned and dragged her back to the abandoned bathroom, noting with annoyance the grin on her face as he shut the door behind them. "Don't say anything." He muttered, pulling her against him and pressing his lips to hers.

"I won't." She said, running a hand over the seat of his trousers. She smirked. "Are you wearing boxers?"

With a grin, James whispered, "what do you think?"

Smiling, she said, "I hope you brought protection!"

James felt his elation slip away instantly.

--

**Ahhhhh...**

**Jamesy Jamesy Jamesy NAKED.**

**Well.. in my head at least.**

**And you can't get in there until you all review ;)**

**ahaha**

**oh this was so much fun**

**Mage of the Heart**


	6. Bathrooms and Letters

I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters

**I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters**

**--**

It seemed absurd that he should have forgotten protection; he usually carried contraceptive patches around in his back pocket, just in case... but on this one occasion when he actually needed it, he had forgotten, and the feeling of utter uselessness in his stomach quadrupled.

"I..." he frowned to himself. Obviously, he could do the charm, but most witches refused to have sex if they hadn't had the charm and the patch applied; the charm could be incorrectly performed afterall when done on it's own, and he knew more people than he cared to mention who had accidentally quoted the wrong incantation and given women an appendage that rather forcibly meant they were no longer in a state of arousal.

"You silly boy!" Lola said, pulling back and looking scandalised. "Did you really think you could come here and have your way with me and not bring protection?" She tutted, shaking her head and waggling her finger, then smirking devilishly as she sat herself on the sink. "Naughty naughty Jamesy..."

"I can go and get some..?" James suggested weakly, rubbing the back of his head ashamedly.

Lola shook her head. "I'll have lost 'the mood' by then..." she chewed her lip, then leapt forward, grinning, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Put your hand on my ass."

"Excuse me?" James spluttered, blinking rapidly.

"I've got a little something for you... but you'll have to work for it..." there was a cheeky glint in her eye that was not to be ignored, and so he moved forwards and gingerly placed his hand on her buttock, frowning nervously.

"You... you mean like this?"

She nodded, smirking. "But stroke it a little more..." she giggled wickedly, pushing her face into his neck and sucking and biting as he gingerly caressed her through her jeans. As she kissed him, his pressure became slightly more pronounced, and she was suddenly pulling away from him and grinning, readjusting her trousers as she looked at him. "Bad, bad boy!"

He gulped, feeling incredibly frustrated as she trailed her hand upwards, toward her breasts, and up between them, before suddenly disappearing down her blouse. "Fuckk!" He hissed, averting his eyes in an effort to control himself. "Merlin, Lola, that was just... really stop..."

"Ok." She said plainly.

He looked around and saw her waving a bright red packet at him. He could have kissed her, but for the huge bulge in his trousers which might well have gotten in the way. "I thought..."

"I was testing you..." she looked at the packet critically, then held it out towards him. "Want to put it on for me?"

James grinned, stepping forwards and snatching it from her fingers. "Where'd you like it?"

She smirked. "I like it anywhere."

Chuckling, James suddenly found himself in familiar territory, and didn't need the flirting and awkwardness. It was suddenly extremely easy to believe he was good at flirting, to have found himself in this position so easily. "I bet you do," he said in a low voice which was gravelly and lustful, just as he undid her top and lifted it over her head, his spare hand sliding down to her fly and unfastening it. "You a tits or ass girl?"

"I'm a dick girl." She said with a smirk. "You?"

"Niether." He said softly. "I'm a thigh man." His hand trailed teasingly over his upper thigh, just before he slid the trousers down her legs.

"Thighs?" She said, surprised.

He nodded. "Mmmhmm."

"How..?"

He grinned. "Tits and ass are fine. But does it really feel as good when I'm sucking your nipples as it does when I'm licking your thighs and refusing to touch you?" His eyes glinted. "And besides," he went on, "its about tone..." he squeezed her thigh softly, appreciatively. "Theres no such thing as toned tits! And toned ass is bullshit." He leant next to her ear and smiled. "Nothing to hold onto when I'm going all out!"

She clung to him rather viciously, unable to move, while he lifted the packet to his mouth and ripped it easily open with his teeth, just before bringing the sticky patch down onto her rear, watching the slight ripply of skin that peaked out from the scarce thong she wore. It flashed green, then disappeared, and he smirked. "Perfect."

She moaned quietly, then pressed her lips to his fiercely. He might have decided to tease her, had he not suddenly realised that he too was suffering from intense arousal which he'd somehow managed to keep at bay with his obscenely dirty talk that he would never have believed himself capable of.

"You ever done it in a bathroom before Lola?" He murmured against her mouth.

She smiled. "I did once..."

James smirked. "Did you like it?"

With a shrug, she started unbuttoning his shirt. "It wasn't particularly enthralling... but then, I was drunk." She grinned. "Hard to remember much that happened that night really."

"Trust me," he murmured, "if I ever shag you when you're drunk, you'll remember it."

"Oh yeah?"

"Mmmhmm..." he kissed his way gently down from her ear to the base of her neck, then smiled, slipping an arm round her back and unfastening her bra before throwing it to the side. "I'm unforgettable."

"Really?" She asked, grinning. "Maybe you'll have to prove that to me..." her hands slid his shirt from his shoulders, then trailed down his body, unfastening his jeans with difficulty and pushing them down on his hips, grinning at the bulge in his boxers that stood to attention, and which she avoided with deliberance as she pressed gentle kisses to the centre of his chest.

"Just tell me when," he grinned, lifting a hand to the back of her head and stroking her hair gently.

Lola smiled, sliding slowly down his body and placing kisses all the way down his toned abdomen. "Don't I still owe you from the other day?"

James chuckled. "I was going to ask for that favour later!"

She placed a teasing kiss to the skin bared just above his boxers, then wiggled her eyebrows at him provocatively. "Black boxers? How original!"

He smiled. "I save originality for when I'm out of the clothes." His hand slid over her bare shoulders teasingly, just as she began to slide his boxers down. He waited patiently for her, then smiled as she let out a low whistle of appreciation.

"Now, where have you been hiding this Mr. Black? I'm not quite sure how it's remained inside those boxers of yours!"

Laughing, he looked down at her, smiling in amusement. "I'm surprised you're even here still... or did you not realize I'm wearing boxers against your orders?"

She looked at him assessingly, then shrugged. "I suppose... well.. it's not too bad...I mean... I can bear it anyway..."

James raised an eyebrow. "You know, I think you've gone soft on me..."

"Well," she said softly, "at least its me and not you..." she looked up and down his length appreciatively, then smirked. "Do you mind if I...?" She motioned towards him with a glint in her eyes.

"Feel free..." he murmured, voice slightly croaky as his throat dried at the thought of it.

She leant forward and pressed her lips to his head, and a groan escaped his lips. "Merlin..."

"Lola!" She corrected him, before opening her mouth and taking his swollen tip in her mouth.

He smiled, pushing slightly deeper and winding his hand in her hair. "Shh," he whispered. "I'm enjoying myself."

An overwhelming rush of excitement overcame him as she sucked him into her mouth deeply, swirling her tongue lightly over him before moving to lick a slow line along the length of him. At the same time, her hands cupped his testicles, gently squeezing and caressing him, before taking him back in her mouth and letting out a low moan of delight. He hissed, pulling out of her mouth and lifted her roughly to her feet, pressing her against the wall before pushing into her quickly.

--

Deep, warm and wet, he buried himself within her folds, so that there was nothing in the whole of the world at that moment that could have torn his mind away. She moaned into his neck as she bit and suckled at his skin, leaving bruises and marks that would clearly show the next morning. He didn't care. He slid in an out with speed, gasping and sighing with each renewed thrust into her heat.

"Yes," she murmured, as her back grazed up and down the wall with the speed of his thrusts. "Oh god, yes."

James caught her lips between his, sucking them briefly before plunging his tongue deep into her mouth. "I've dreamt of this.." he muttered. "God, I've dreamt of this.."

"Tell me..." she said with command. He smiled, his head falling to her shoulder as he continued on, feeling her muscles clench around him slightly.

"Fucking you... having you around me, like this... feeling you, wet and tight and hot..." He groaned as he felt her clench even tighter, felt her whole body stiffen.

"Please..." she whispered. "I need to come... shit James, I need to..." he silenced her with a fierce kiss, hand sliding down between them and rubbing against her clit with ferocity. She whimpered against him, buckling in his arms as her white hot orgasm poured over her. He hissed, closing his eyes as he felt his own release torn from him, stars bursting before his eyes as he buried his face in her neck, a groan marking his completion.

--

He was half asleep the next morning as he came down to breakfast, his eyes heavy and stuck together with sleep. He slumped down on the table beside Ricardo, who grinned knowingly and said nothing, before loading his plate with food.

"Hungry?" James said sleepily, just as he himself scooped four sausages, three rashers of bacon, beans and mushrooms onto his plate.

Ricardo nodded, then smirked. "You too?"

James flushed red. "A... maybe a little..."

"Good night?"

James didn't answer. That was enough for Ricardo. He howled with laughter and slapped James on the back, grinning stupidly and shaking his head in amusement. "You old dog!"

Tucking into his food, James kept quiet, but was distracted when an owl swooped down and dropped a piece of parchment in his lap. He frowned and picked it up.

_Open this at the table._

_Dare you!_

_L_

_x_

With a useless attempt at covering up his grin, he unfolded the paper hastily, scanning the paper quickly before choking on his food.

"You ok mate?" Ricardo asked. James nodded, embarassed, but could not resist the urge to read the whole of the letter.

_Big boy,_

_I'm so randy for you right now. _

_Can't stop thinking about you fucking me. You look so hot when you're coming. I want to be under you right now, with you riding me hard, sucking on my nipples and telling me how tight I am._

_I'm so wet for you._

_Do you have any idea how good it felt to be sucking you off? I wish you were in my mouth right now, grabbing my hair and shoving me down on you however you want it. Want to taste you so badly, tell you how good you taste, how much I want you to just let go and give me everything._

_Are you hard yet? Wish I was there with you, making it go away... but I'm in my own little bed, feeling all lonely and turned on without you..._

_Fancy a shag?_

_L_

_x_

Ricardo snorted, and it was only then that James realised his friend had been reading over his shoulder.

"Jeez mate, you sure know how to pick them don't you? I'm telling you, you better write back or she'll be onto someone else!"

James rubbed his neck nervously, attempting to hide his embarassment, which was slowly mingling with pride, from showing on his face.

"I'll be back in a bit," he said suddenly, jumping up and almost running into Lily. "Shit!" He swore. "Sorry Lilz! I'll talk to you later!"

He didn't look back, but ran for the owlery quickly, sprinting up the marble staircase two steps at a time.

--

He stepped on the soft straw-covered floor, strewn with droppings and broken quills, and whistled down his own owl. He looked at the eagle owl nervously, then spoke quietly to him. "Alright mate, I know we don't usually do this kind of thing but... well... I need to write this one so... well, wish me luck Ok?"

He pulled his own quill from his bag and chewed it thoughtfully before withdrawing ink and parchment and beginning to write.

--

_Minx,_

_can't make the shag right now, but enjoy your time alone in bed... just think about me and you'll feel better..._

He shook his head and scratched the sentence out, balling the parchment up and discarding it.

_Minx, _

_Hope you're having fun in bed. Want to be with you but have Potions..._

No..

He sighed. "Fuck it. Just write. She won't care!"

With a reassuring smile to himself in the glass window, he began again.

--

Lola smirked as the eagle owl tapped on the bedroom window, and she instantly danced across to open it, taking the folded parchment in her hand and grinning wickedly.

_Minx,_

_You bet your ass I'm hard. _

_Do I fancy a shag? When don't I? _

_Hope you've had your daily dose of caffeine; you're going to have a __very__ long night ahead of you! _

_You realize you deserve a serious spanking after all that dirty talk at breakfast? Hope you like it kinky, because right now you should really be tied down to my bed with some VERY ineffective black undies on and nothing else. And trust me, I __will__ get you there. _

_Can't wait to come in your mouth; I want to feel you swallow me down and tell me how you like it. Do you like doing that? Swallowing come down and tasting it on your tongue for ages afterwards? When I'm between your legs tonight, I'm going to make you come so hard you scream, and when I lick you out your gunna be so wet I'll be practically drinking you down. Then afterwards, I'll kiss you and you can tell me who tastes better; me or you? _

_Next time I see you baby, you're going to be screwed._

_And I'm not talking metaphorical._

_J_

_x_

--

**MMMMMMMMM **

**I like naughty naughty James -drools a bit-**

**Sorry it's been so long; as anyone whos read In Faith of Tomorrows most recent update will know, I've only got one hand functional at the moment as I'm recovering from a badly broken wrist. So updates may take a while**

**Mage of the Heart**


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